Khabib Nurmagomedov

Former U.F.C. Lightweight Champion Khabib "The Eagle" Nurmagomedov has a professional M.M.A. record of 29 wins and 0 defeats.
Khabib Nurmagomedov in a file photo [Image-Twitter]

Khabib Abdulmanapovich Nurmagomedov was born on September 20, 1988. He is a former mixed martial artist in Russia. The longest-reigning UFC Lightweight Champion ever, he competed in the lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), holding the championship from April 2018 to March 2021. He retired with a record of 29 victories and zero defeats.

On June 30, 2022, Nurmagomedov, who is regarded as one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time, was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. Nurmagomedov has experience in sambo, judo, and wrestling. He is a two-time Combat Sambo World Champion. At the time of his retirement, Nurmagomedov was ranked first in the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings. He remained there until his title vacation in March 2021, when he was deposed. According to Fight Matrix, he is the greatest lightweight of all time.

NameKhabib Abdulmanapovich Nurmagomedov
D.O.BSeptember 20, 1988
Height5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight70 kg
OccupationMixed Martial Artist
Professional DebutSeptember 2008
WifePatimat
NicknamesThe Eagle

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Background

On September 20, 1988, in the hamlet of Sildi in the Tsumadinsky District of the Dagestan ASSR, an autonomous republic within the Russian SFSR, Soviet Union, Khabib Abdulmanapovich Nurmagomedov was born to an Avar family. He has a younger sister named Amina and an elder brother named Magomed. His father renovated the ground floor of his father’s family’s two-story home into a gym after they relocated from Sildi to Kirovaul.

The family where Nurmagomedov was raised also included his brothers and cousins. He first became interested in martial arts while observing gym patrons in their workouts. When Khabib was nine years old, he trained with a bear by wrestling it.

His family relocated to Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan, in 2001, where he began wrestling training at the age of 12 and judo training at the age of 15. At age 17, he started again taking lessons from his father in combat sambo. Nurmagomedov claims that switching from wrestling to judo was challenging, but his father insisted that he practice competing while wearing a gi jacket.

In Makhachkala, Russia, Abdulmanap trained a number of athletes in combat sambo as a senior coach for the Republic of Dagestan’s combat sambo national team. Prior to concentrating on mixed martial arts, Nurmagomedov routinely engaged in street battles.

Early Career

In less than a month after making his professional MMA debut in September 2008, Nurmagomedov recorded four victories. He overcame his three opponents at the Moscow competition to win the first Atrium Cup tournament on October 11. He overcame 11 of his 12 opponents over the course of the following three years to remain unbeaten. These included Shahbulat Shamhalaev’s M-1 Global debut, an armbar finish in the opening frame that eliminated the future Bellator championship contender. He participated in seven fights for the ProFC company in 2011, winning every one of them through TKO or submission.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) was interested in signing Nurmagomedov because of his undefeated record in the regional circuits of Russia and Ukraine. Later, Nurmagomedov’s father disclosed in an interview that they have 11 court lawsuits fighting the legality of Nurmagomedov’s UFC contract because of a contract disagreement with ProFC. After reaching an agreement, Khabib was permitted to continue his profession after losing six lawsuits and winning five.

UFC Career

With a perfect 16-0 record entering the U.F.C., Khabib Nurmagomedov made history by resoundingly defeating every opponent in the octagon. He defeated some of the top U.F.C. competitors, including Conor McGregor, Michael Johnson, and Rafael Dos Anjos.

Nurmagomedov agreed to a six-fight contract to participate in the UFC’s lightweight division in late 2011. On January 20, 2012, at UFC on FX 1, Nurmagomedov won his first UFC fight via the submission of Kamal Shalorus.

On September 21, 2013, at UFC 165, Nurmagomedov fought Pat Healy in his sixth UFC contest. He had the upper hand and won by unanimous decision. On April 19, 2014, at UFC on Fox 11, Nurmagomedov met Rafael dos Anjos, a former UFC Lightweight Champion. He had the upper hand and won by unanimous decision.

At UFC 205 on November 12, 2016, Nurmagomedov fought Michael Johnson in place of a championship opportunity

As he mauled Johnson and won by submission in the third round, Nurmagomedov was heard pleading with Dana White to give him a shot at the title. At UFC 219, Nurmagomedov faced Edson Barboza on December 30, 2017. All three rounds were won by Nurmagomedov, who frequently knocked Barboza to the ground. He received a unanimous decision victory.

After Max Holloway was ruled unfit by the New York State Athletic Commission and Tony Ferguson suffered a knee injury, Khabib Nurmagodemov challenged Al Iaquinta for the vacant UFC lightweight title at UFC 223. Iaquinta was outclassed five times by “The Eagle,” who prevailed by unanimous decision.

As Iaquinta likewise weighed in 0.2 pounds over the championship weight restriction, only Nurmagomedov was qualified to claim the title. Nurmagomedov dominated the contest and emerged as the new UFC Lightweight Champion after winning by unanimous decision with scores of 50-44, 50-43, and 50-43. Then he subsequently defended his title to the likes of Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje but still reigned as the champion. He relinquished the title as his father died and he didn’t want to fight as his father and coach were no more.

Dana White, the president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, declared on March 19, 2021, that he had accepted Khabib Nurmagomedov’s decision to retire and that the UFC Lightweight Championship had been formally vacated, despite attempts to negotiate his return for one more bout. Nurmagomedov was honored with a UFC Hall of Fame induction on July 1, 2022, during International Fight Week in Las Vegas. Following his retirement, Nurmagomedov paid $1 milli

Championships and accomplishments

  • Ultimate Fighting Championship
    UFC Hall of Fame (Modern-Era Wing, Class of 2022)
    UFC Lightweight Championship (One time)
    Three successful title defenses
    Longest Lightweight champion reign in UFC history (1077 days)
    Performance of the Night (Three times) vs. Edson Barboza, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje
    Most takedowns in a single UFC fight (UFC 160: 21 takedowns on 28 attempts; 3 rounds) vs. Abel Trujillo
    Tied for Most title defenses in Lightweight division UFC history (3) (w. B.J. Penn, Frankie Edgar, and Benson Henderson)
    Tied for Most consecutive title defenses in Lightweight division UFC history (3) (w. B.J. Penn, Frankie Edgar, and Benson Henderson)
    Tied for Most title wins in Lightweight division UFC history (4) (w. B.J. Penn and Benson Henderson)
    Most submissions win in Lightweight division title fights in UFC history (3)
    Most consecutive wins in Lightweight division UFC history (13)[178]
    Tied second-most submissions win in title fights in UFC history (3) (w. Jon Jones, Ronda Rousey, Matt Hughes, and B.J. Penn)
    Second Russian UFC champion (after Oleg Taktarov)
    First Muslim UFC champion
    2020 UFC Honors Submission of the Year vs. Justin Gaethje
  • M-1 Global
    M-1 Challenge: 2009 Selections
  • Atrium Cup
    Pankration Atrium Cup 2008 tournament winner
  • Sherdog.com
    2013 Breakthrough Fighter of the Year.
    2016 Beatdown of the Year (UFC 205: vs. Michael Johnson).
    2016 Comeback Fighter of the Year
  • Fightbooth.com
    2013 Staredown of the Year (UFC 160: vs. Abel Trujillo)
  • MMAdna.nl
    2017 Performance of the Year (UFC 219: vs. Edson Barboza)
  • MMAjunkie.com
    2020 October Submission of the Month vs. Justin Gaethje
  • World MMA Awards
    2016 International Fighter of the Year.
    2021 Submission of the Year vs. Justin Gaethje
  • Wrestling Observer Newsletter
    Mixed Martial Arts Most Valuable (2020)
    BBC Sports Personality World Sport Star of the Year
    2020 World Sport Star of the Year
  • Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM)
    Best Sportsman in Russia
  • ESPY Award
    2021 Best MMA fighter
  • Sambo
    Combat Sambo Federation of Russia
    2009 Russian Combat Sambo Championships (−74 kg) Gold Medalist
    World Combat Sambo Federation2009 World Combat Sambo Championships (−74 kg) Gold Medalist
    2010 World Combat Sambo Championships (−82 kg) Gold Medalist
  • ARB (Army Hand-to-Hand Combat)
    Russian Union of Martial Arts
    European Champion of Army Hand-to-Hand Combat
  • Pankration
    International Pankration federation
    European Pankration Champion
  • Grappling
    NAGA World Championship
    2012 Men’s No-Gi Expert Welterweight Champion
    2012 ADCC Rules No-Gi Expert Welterweight Champion

MMA records

29 matches 29 wins 0 losses
By knockout 8 0
By submission 11 0
By decision 10 0