It’s been one year since the death of [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag]’s father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.
The Team Eagle coach and mentor died July 3, 2020, after complications from COVID-19. He was 57.
His death was taken hard by Khabib, his family and the MMA community.
Abdulmanap was an ever-present figure in Khabib’s MMA career. He was one of his one of his main coaches along with American Kickboxing Academy’s Javier Mendez. The loss of his father eventually led to Khabib’s decision to walk away from the sport after he promised his mother he would not continue fighting without his father.
One year later, Khabib reflected on his father’s death.
“It’s been a year today since the Father is gone,” Khabib wrote on Instagram. “This event has increased my belief that in this world we own nothing, not out children, not our parents, not our property. Everything we have is temporary.
“All things belong to Allah alone and to Him we shall return, tie your hearts to Allah, stay more alone with Him, for a time will come when we will all be put in the grave where we will be alone, where our friends, relatives, property and connections will not be there, only our deeds and report.”
Khabib last fought in October 2020 at UFC 254, where he successfully defended his lightweight title with a submission win over Justin Gaethje. He retired at 32 and unbeaten his career at 29-0.
Below, see how other friends and teammates of Khabib reflected on the anniversary of Abdulmanap’s death