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(Reuters) – UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov defends his belt against Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 on Saturday, but the biggest hurdle he might have to overcome is the absence of his coach and father Abdulmanap, who passed away in July.
The 57-year-old, who died of complications caused by COVID-19, was instrumental in his son’s rise to the top of MMA, where he has an undefeated 28-0 record and a fearsome reputation as one of the best in the history. enter the cage.
“We will miss you father. You were a father, friend, brother and coach in one person. You taught me almost everything I know, I hope you are happy with me,” Nurmagomedov said in an emotional Instagram post following the passing of his father. .
Abdulmanap had his son develop his skills by fighting bears as a child, and his suffocating fighting style has made him one of the most dominant champions the sport has ever seen.
Nurmagomedov’s respect for his father never waned. When a fight broke out in the crowd following his win over Conor McGregor in Las Vegas in 2018, he told reporters that he was not afraid of the UFC, but that his father was a different story.
“I know my father is going to crush me,” he said sadly as he contemplated the consequences.
Unsurprisingly, Abdulmanap criticized his son, saying: “I warned him – for me discipline comes first. Do you do whatever you want in the Octagon, but outside? This is the border where there are civilians, where there are children, women, strangers. ” . “
Visa issues prevented his father from traveling to the US with him for his UFC fights, but Abdulmanap was finally able to corner his son at UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi when he smothered challenger Dustin Poirier in September 2019.
That space in the corner will be empty on Saturday when he returns to Abu Dhabi, but Nurmagomedov, despite his pain, will stick to his father’s life-long game plan: take down his opponent and break him.
“Who knows how I’m going to be, how I’m going to feel inside the cage? Nobody knows,” Nurmagomedov told ESPN before his showdown with Gaethje, who is also an accomplished fighter.
“Physically, I feel great. Mentally, I also feel great. But this is the first time that I’m going to have a difficult situation when I go to the cage. Nobody knows.”
(Reporting by Philip O’Connor; Edited by Toby Davis)
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