LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 05: UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov poses during a ceremonial weigh-in for UFC 229 at T-Mobile Arena on October 05, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Nurmagomedov will defend his title against Conor McGregor at UFC 229 on October 6 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, the father of UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, has passed away at the age of 57.
On Friday, it was announced that Abdulmanap had passed away following complications due to COVID-19. He had been in poor health since April and had to placed into a medically-induced coma in May.
Per RT Sport, Abdulmanap suffered a heart attack and stroke shortly after coming down with the virus. He was even forced to undergo emergency bypass surgery. Nevertheless, Abdulmanap’s condition appeared to have stabilized in recent weeks.
Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov was widely respected as one of the top wrestling and sambo coaches in the world. On top of developing his son into an undefeated UFC fighter, he trained many other champion wrestlers and helped put the region of Dagestan on the map.
RIP Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov
Our deepest condolences go out to the Nurmagomedov family during this time pic.twitter.com/JipBMLVgFa
— RT Sport (@RTSportNews) July 3, 2020
Back in May, even Khabib’s arch-rival Conor McGregor had words of encouragement for the ailing wrestling coach.
“Praying for the recovery of Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov. A man responsible for more World champions, across multiple fighting disciplines, than we even know,” McGregor tweeted at the time.
Abdulmanap’s tragic passing has led to an outpouring of support in the MMA and sports worlds as a whole.
“Sincerest condolences to @TeamKhabib,” wrote UFC star Jan Blachowicz. “RIP Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.”
“‘He will stay in our memories forever,” Russian boxing chief Umar Kremlev said. “It’s a huge loss for the sports world'”
As for Khabib, his strong relationship with his father was among the UFC’s strongest. Following his win over Dustin Poirier at UFC 242, he called his father to the octagon and praised him for everything he’d done for him.
Our hearts go out to Khabib, the Nurmagomedov family, and all of Abdulmanap’s loved ones.
