BT Sport has released a touching, teary-eyed tribute to UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag]’s father, who died earlier this year.
Nurmagomedov’s father, Abdulmanap, who helped train and build the careers of a host of Dagestani fighters, diedd in July due to complications arising from COVID-19.
During Khabib’s fighting career, Abdulmanap had issues obtaining a visa to the U.S. but was finally able to corner his son for the first time in the UFC in September 2019, when Nurmagomedov submitted Dustin Poirier at UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi.
Ahead of Nurmagomedov’s title defense against Justin Gaethje (22-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) at UFC 254 on Saturday, BT Sport put together an animated short story describing the relationship between Nurmagomedov (28-0 MMA, 12-0 UFC) and his father, who had aspirations of his son hitting the 30-0 mark as a professional fighter.
Check out the emotional tribute in the video below.
From the mountains of Dagestan to UFC champion.
Whether in spirit, or in person, Abdulmanap was in Khabib's corner every step of the way.
"Father's plan" is not finished just yet. The job is not quite done…#UFC254 pic.twitter.com/iAGJJmrtXl
— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) October 18, 2020
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