Khabib Nurmagomedov Names his Father's Favorite Sport and It's not What Most Fans Expect
Everyone assumes Khabib Nurmagomedov’s legendary MMA dominance was built entirely on wrestling, but his father’s true blueprint came from a different sport.
Khabib Nurmagomedov walked away from mixed martial arts with a perfect 29-0 record after submitting Justin Gaethje in the second round at UFC 254, following the death of his father Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.
Before his shocking retirement, he finished 13-0 in the UFC with three lightweight title defenses and averaged 5.32 takedowns per 15 minutes. His 21 takedowns against Abel Trujillo at UFC 160 in 2013 remain the single-fight record in promotional history.
All of those stellar numbers came straight out of the legendary Dagestani training system. But while the majority assumes freestyle wrestling was his father's favorite, Khabib recently opened up about the sport Abdulmanap actually loved the most.
Khabib Nurmagomedov Says Judo Was His Father’s Favorite Sport
Khabib recently traveled to Astana, Kazakhstan, for the Senior World Wrestling Championships. During his trip, the undefeated icon visited a local gym to hang out with young athletes and share some behind-the-scenes stories.
As it turns out, the man who built the most dominant wrestling system in MMA had a different favorite sport. Khabib revealed that his former coach was obsessed with judo. That's why their gym famously forced fighters to grapple in heavy jackets.
"Judo was my father's favourite sport. He always praised it and loved it," Khabib said, via Red Corner MMA. "Judo is one of the best sports, and jiu-jitsu too, of course.”
Abdulmanap was a Soviet Army veteran who wrestled from an early age and trained in judo and sambo in the military. He passed that mix to his son, though Khabib has admitted that transitioning from freestyle wrestling to judo was a big challenge.
"The Eagle" has a judo black belt but is only a white belt in BJJ. He did not pursue high BJJ ranks because his father’s unique training system gave him the best ground game in UFC history.
Abdulmanap died at 57 from COVID-19 complications. Khabib retired three months later, after promising his mother he would not fight without his father in his corner. But the iconic Dagestani method didn't die out. His star student, Islam Makhachev, carried the torch forward and became the two-division champion.
Khabib Nurmagomedov Ties Elite Results to Gym Relationships and Coach Trust
Khabib also believes great fighters are built by the people around them. He insists that no champion can reach the top without a healthy gym environment and a tight bond with their coach.
"Without building good relationships in the gym, a good training process, and a good relationship with your coach, you will never be able to reach a high level," Khabib explained.
Jacket grappling is all about early hand-fighting and control, and Khabib proved just how effective it is. He landed 48 percent of his takedowns and blocked 84 percent of his opponents' attempts, winning the hand fights long before taking anyone to the mat.
To keep his father’s exact vision alive, Khabib officially opened a high-tech MMA training center in Sildi, the remote Dagestani mountain village where Abdulmanap’s journey first began.
