Khabib Nurmagomedov opens up on his father; Says, “I think about him all the time”

Khabib Nurmagomedov opens up on his father; Says, “I think about him all the time”

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The UFC Lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is set to make his long-awaited return on 24th October. He will be taking up Justin Gaethje in a lightweight unification battle at UFC 254.

Khabib is returning after a long time and after the demise of his dearly father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov. Besides being a dear father, he was Khabib’s support and trainer also. The duo shared a very tight bond.

In a recent interview with RT Sport, Khabib said, “I’m sure everyone in this room lost someone, A friend, a neighbor, a cousin, a mother, a father, girlfriend. Everyone goes through loss, I understand that. But on the other hand it’s very difficult,”

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“Some people have strictly a father-son relationship, but my father was very close to me. We were like friends. He was my father and coach, we were always together. We were very close. Of course I’m sad. If I tell you with a straight face that it doesn’t affect my training, that’d be a lie.

“It does affect me, I think about him all the time. Maybe this pain will put me on another level and make me stronger. Any challenge either breaks you or makes you stronger. We’ll see what it does to me in time.”

The simple act of showing up to fight few months after his father’s demise shows the strength he has. Earlier, Khabib’s father had declared that Khabib will be retiring once he hits 30-0.

Khabib hints at his possible retirement

However, Khabib hasn’t himself confirmed the fact yet. He said, “As far as retirement, I’ve been having lots of different thoughts,” Khabib said. “Right now I’m thinking of my next fight. We’ll see what happens next. Right now I’m 31, I’ll be 32 in September. That’s a significant age. I’m no longer a rookie. Looking back at how much time I’ve invested in the sport, it’s fair to say I’m a veteran. I’ve been a professional fighter for 12 years, since 2008. I’ve been in the UFC more than eight years. If you look back, I’ve had an excellent career.”

From these comments, it seems Khabib is at some point thinking of his retirement as he said that 32 will be a significant age.

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