Khabib Nurmagomedov

Khabib Abdulmanapovich Nurmagomedov is a Russian former professional mixed martial artist. He is the longest-reigning UFC Lightweight Champion, having held the title since April 2018. With 29 wins and no losses, he retired with an undefeated record. An ethnic Avar hailing from the Republic of Dagestan in Russia, he is the first Muslim to win a UFC title.

About Khabib Nurmagomedov in brief

Summary Khabib NurmagomedovKhabib Abdulmanapovich Nurmagomedov is a Russian former professional mixed martial artist. He is the longest-reigning UFC Lightweight Champion, having held the title since April 2018. With 29 wins and no losses, he retired with an undefeated record. A two-time Combat Sambo World Champion, he has a background in the disciplines of sambo, judo and wrestling. An ethnic Avar hailing from the Republic of Dagestan in Russia, he is the first Muslim to win a UFC title. His style of grappling has made him one of the most dominant athletes in the history of MMA. His interest in martial arts began when watching students training at the gym. Khabib’s training as a child included wrestling a bear when he was nine years old. He began wrestling at the age of eight under the tutelage of his father, a decorated athlete and a veteran of the Soviet Army. He trained in judo from 15, and in combat sambo from 17. He made his professional MMA debut in September 2008 and compiled four wins in under a month. A 16–0 record in the regional circuits of Russia and Ukraine generated interested from the Ultimate Fighting Championship. In late 2011, he signed a deal to compete in the UFC’s lightweight division. In 2012, he defeated Gleison Tibau via submission in his UFC debut. He won his next fight against Thiago Tavares on 19 January 2013 at UFC 148. He received a 9-month suspension after testing positive for anabolic steroid Drooneolone.

He has more than 26 million followers on Instagram, with more than 22 million followers as of December 2020. He was born to an Avar family on 20 September 1988, in the village of Sildi in the Tsumadinsky District of the Dagestans ASSR, an autonomous republic within the Russian SFSR, Soviet Union. His father dedicated his life to coaching the youth in Dagestsan, in hopes of offering an alternative to the Islamic extremism common to the region. His family moved to Makhachkala in 2001, where he trained in wrestling and judo. He started training in combat Sambo at age 12, and resumed training in Judo at 17. In 2011 he competed in seven fights for the ProFC promotion, all of which he won by TKO or submission. Over the next three years he went undefeated, finishing 11 out of 12 opponents. These included a first-round armbar finish of future Bellator title challenger Shahbulat Shamhalaev, which marked his M-1 Global debut. In January 2013, he won the inaugural Atrium Cup tournament champion, having defeated his three opponents at the Moscow event. He then went undefeated in his next three fights, winning by T KO or submission in the first round of the second round. In July 2012, NurmagOMedov defeated Shalorus Shalorus via submission. In August 2013, NurMagomedov won the UFC 148 fight for the lightweight title.