Dagestani officials honor memory of Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov

UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, still reeling from the loss of his father and coach, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, earlier this month, met with Dagestani officials on Saturday, thanking them for their “respectful and trusting attitude” towards his father, and adding that he considered it his duty to “see [his father’s plans] through to the end.”

Khabib is referring to his father’s work in developing the MMA infrastructure of his republic, having opened a state-of-the-art MMA facility in Makhachkala last year.

Vladimir Vasilyev, head of the Dagestan Republic, said: “We have an instruction from the President of the Russian Federation and a debt to the memory of Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, whom we all respected and appreciated immensely.”

Javier Mendez, Nurmagomedov’s coach and head coach of the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) in San Jose, believes Khabib will go the coaching route once he retires as a fighter, adding that “he’s been doing that for the past four or five years, helping coach Islam [Makhachev] and other up-and-coming stars.”