Former UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov no longer shows up in the octagon, does not take part in the UFC tournaments as a coach, and appears less and less often in the media. But sometimes the Eagle bursts into headlines like a whirlwind. On March 5, famous stand-up comedian Nurlan Saburov published a big interview with Khabib. Nurmagomedov told him about his difficult childhood, his legendary bout against Conor, his upbringing, how he lost money on cryptocurrency, and much more. In this article, we will share the interview highlights.
Bet on UFC with 1xBet"I had never seen a cage before I came to the USA"
Khabib met Nurlan Saburov, Adam Zubayraev, and Tambi Masaev in the Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov school in Makhachkala, Dagestan. The Eagle told them that now he trains at home and only comes to the gym to point out other athletes' mistakes and help them prepare for this or that opponent.
The interview showed one day from Khabib's life. We saw not only the conversation with the former champion, but also a training session, a coffee shop good for cheerful conversations, a football match, and a FIFA battle.
Khabib made his UFC debut in January 2012, and it was his first trip to the USA. Nurmagomedov told the interviewers about this exciting moment.
I really wanted to see the cage, I've never seen one before. My previous 16 fights in the post-Soviet countries were in a ring or an open mat. I first saw the octagon during the weigh-in day. As a young athlete who always watched the UFC bouts, I just wanted to fight in a cage even when I was here (in the USA). You come into the cage, the door closes, and you sort things out.
Khabib Nurmagomedov
"We never had hot water"
We moved to the gym, where Khabib told Nurlan about the difficulties on his path to success.
All our lives, we trained in a gym that had one shower for 70 guys. We never had hot water, only cold. We had two ropes, two punching bags, and mats. The mats were 200 square meters, here we have 400 meters. And that gym produced 20 world champions and 2 UFC champions. I opened this gym when I started making money. I bought this hangar. My father and I planned where to have the gyms, the locker rooms, and the cafeteria. That was in early 2019. The worst conditions lead to the best results. Hunger drives people.
Khabib Nurmagomedov
"I never won anything before the 7th grade"
Khabib mentioned that he has four UFC champion belts at home — two old and two new ones, and confessed he preferred the old design. Nurmagomedov also said that his sports career wasn't always successful.
I never won anything before the 7th grade. I never had a first-place medal. When a child has a bad experience, they wait for their family's reaction. My father approached this correctly: he never scolded me for losing. When I was young, we didn't even work on mistakes. And when I won, he didn't praise me.
Khabib Nurmagomedov
"I would've made Conor pass out, but wouldn't have killed him"
October 2018 saw the memorable fight between Khabib and Conor McGregor at UFC 229. Saburov asked what Nurmagomedov would do if there was no referee in the octagon.
I wouldn't have let Conor go. It was a moment when your emotional stake was at its peak. We both knew what we were getting into. It wasn't choking someone you met on the street. He was one of the best fighters in the world. I don't think I would've killed him. But I would've made him pass out. We'll never know if I would've controlled myself. But how long I would've choked him is a good question. I thought that after the fight we'd continue behind the scenes.
Khabib Nurmagomedov
After defeating Conor, Khabib rushed out of the octagon to punish his opponent's teammate Dillon Danis for his hurtful remarks. The Eagle's brother, Abubakar Nurmagomedov, shared his perspective.
Bet on UFC with 1xBetI was focused on protecting my brother and looking out for attacks from the side. I understood that something like that might happen. I stood up when I saw him throw the mouthpiece and rush to the cage. But Zubaria calmed me down. I don't remember how, but Conor ended up in the cage and I felt him hitting me. I didn't know that Khabib wanted to attack Danis.
Abubakar Nurmagomedov
"My father broke my phone"
Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov was always a strict father. At 16, the Eagle became a problem child — he fell in with a bad crowd.
I had such a situation. I was in a bad area, and my father called me. I didn't know that he could see me. I put the phone on silent and put it in my pocket. I came home, and he said: 'I called you.' I didn't know he could see me. I said: 'My phone was on silent.' He broke my phone and said: 'If you don't pick up my calls, you don't need a phone.' If I came home after 9, I'd be grounded for 2 weeks. How someone could've punished me? Only by force. How else could you hold me down? I used to get jealous of people who were only beaten with a belt. I thought they had nice punishments. My father was an expert in three sports. He said we can wrestle or have a judo match. He said: 'You want to fly?' So I had some flights. I am grateful to my father for controlling and guiding me. I never missed a training session. No matter what I never skipped. I was the first one in and last one out.
Khabib Nurmagomedov
"Cryptocurrency is like a casino"
During his interview, Khabib said he lost a lot of money on cryptocurrency.
I have people working for me, but I come through to help with the process. The stupidest venture I invested in? Cryptocurrency. 80-90% of cryptocurrency is like a casino. There are a few huge coins, and the rest is up and down. I invested a couple of times just by trusting people's advice and lost money. Now I only enter ventures that I can fully control.
Khabib Nurmagomedov
"I had a terrible preparation against Gaethje"
In October 2020, Khabib choked UFC interim champion Justin Gaethje and ended his career. The Eagle recalls how he struggled at that time.
When I entered the octagon I knew it would be my last fight. I was sure that I would never step into the octagon. I went into it like it was my last fight. I had a terrible preparation for this fight. In terms of injuries. I was in the hospital for 7 days, then I broke my finger. Even if it was difficult I had somewhere to draw my strength from. I never showed my full strength in the UFC. When you're in a tough situation, you give it everything you got. But I never had that. I could dig into my experience
Khabib Nurmagomedov
"My father set the example for me"
Khabib revealed that he lives with his mother — both in the village and in Makhachkala. She has never worked and has devoted all her time to her children and household chores which have been plenty. Nurmagomedov also shared fond memories of his father.
My father wasn't rich. He had knowledge, skills, discipline, and an approach to me. He always led by example. He trained and wrestled himself, he loved football and played it himself. I always had a solid authority figure. I always looked to him for motivation and energy. Now I am very busy, but I try to invest in my kids every moment of my free time. My father said discipline comes first, education second, sport third.
Khabib Nurmagomedov
"Neither $40 nor $400 million can solve all the problems"
The interview also included questions about money.
People often ask me for a loan. Neither $40 nor $400 million can solve all the problems. It's all in your mindset. I believe that life without money is happier. A person always needs to desire something. When a person can buy everything — clothes, an apartment, or a car — it alienates them from God. And for me, it's very important to keep the balance, not to lose my footing. As my father used to say sometimes: 'He is too presumptuous.' When a man has money but no good head on his shoulders, he becomes a very dangerous man for his close ones, for friends. A person thinks that it will come to them, fall into their account — $50 million — and everything is going to be alright. No, this is exactly where all the problems start. I try to earn money, but I don't want money to take over my heart. But once it's in your heart or mind, you'll take the loss of money hard. The same goes for the money you didn't earn. Money will own you.
Khabib Nurmagomedov
Khabib, Nurlan, Tambi, and Adam played football with local guys. The Eagle demonstrated he was still in good shape. Nurmagomedov's favorite commentators are Georgy Cherdantsev, Viktor Gusev, and Alexander Yelagin. He also considers Andrey Arshavin the best Russian player in recent history. The Eagle also claimed he wasn't interested in exhibition boxing fights.
"I copied Ozhegov's dictionary twice"
In his interview, Khabib confessed that Ozhegov's dictionary helped him in his studies.
It was my day-to-day work: I had to copy 10 pages of Ozhegov's dictionary every day. I copied it twice. And the thing that I hated most was that the pages were very thin. You would turn over 30 pages, but it looked like you didn't turn a single one. I copied everything including commas and fullstops. And I learned a lot of words from here. I had other activities as well. I also dug pits. That was easier because it was physical labor. Mental labor is very tiring. Dad wasn't lazy, he could sit and check it and look for mistakes. I will do it with my kids. First of all, they are busy doing something useful. Secondly, they are using their time wisely. Parents used to pick us up from the street, whereas now you cannot make your children leave home.
Khabib Nurmagomedov
The interview was intimate and sincere. Khabib discussed personal themes like his father's upbringing methods, his mother's support, the situation with McGregor, and his failures. Nurmagomedov spoke a lot and shared interesting details. We hope that now the Eagle will tell us more exciting stories from his life.
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