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Khabib
Nurmagomedov on Wednesday made his first public statement on
social media since the
death of his father.
The UFC lightweight champion paid tribute to his father in an
Instagram passage that included a passage from the Quran.
Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov died earlier this month at age 57 due to
complications from COVID-19. The elder Nurmagomedov was a renowned
MMA coach in Dagestan and cornered his son for many of his UFC
bouts.
“I will miss you Father,” he wrote (translation via
RT Sport). “You were father, friend, brother and coach all
rolled into one. You taught me almost everything that I can, I hope
you were pleased with me.”
The timeline for Khabib’s return to the Octagon is unknown. “The
Eagle” was supposed to face Justin
Gaethje in a lightweight title unification bout at UFC 253 in
September, but that matchup has been delayed following Abdulmanap’s
passing. UFC President Dana White said the promotion would give
Khabib as much time as he needs in the wake of the tragedy.
“We’re not messing with Khabib. We’re leaving Khabib alone. Khabib
needs time,” White recently said during a media scrum. “Khabib is
going to need time to get his head straight and figure out what’s
next for him, you know? So we’re just gonna leave him alone for a
little while. We’ll figure it out.”
Khabib’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, recently told
TMZ Sports that he expects Khabib to return before the end of
the year. The champion last appeared at UFC 242, where he submitted
Dustin
Poirier in the third round to retain his title last
September.
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A post shared by Khabib Nurmagomedov (@khabib_nurmagomedov) on
Jul 22, 2020 at 2:22pm
PDT