Khabib Nurmagomedov Net Worth

Biography of Khabib Nurmagomedov

Khabib Abdulmanapovich Nurmagomedov is a mixed martial arts fighter originally from Dagestan, who received the nickname “Eagle” among athletes. He competes in the UFC as a lightweight. After the fight with Al Iaquinta in April 2018, the athlete became the first Russian in UFC history with a champion title. After defeating Justin Gaethje in October 2024, he ended his career undefeated after 29 fights.

Childhood and youth

Khabib was born on September 20, 1988 in a traditional Avar family from the small Dagestan mountain village of Sildi. Almost all local men were hereditary wrestlers, and Khabib’s relatives were no exception. His father Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov is a master of sports in freestyle wrestling, his father’s brother is a world champion in sambo in 1992, and his maternal uncle is a titled freestyle wrestler.

It is not surprising that both Khabib and his younger brother Abubakar followed in the footsteps of eminent relatives and became interested in wrestling from an early age. Their first coach was their father, who almost from the cradle prepared his sons for the fighting ring. From the age of three, Khabib began to master the elementary wrestling elements, and at the age of five he already entered the carpet.

When the boy was ten, the family moved to Makhachkala. There, the father had the opportunity to recruit his own group of young talented athletes, including Khabib.

Until the age of fifteen, he did not differ much from other boys: he went to school, regularly attended training, often fought with the yard guys. At some point, Khabib wanted to get a job as a security guard to earn money, but the whole family was against it.

Sport, his father said, is also work, and hard work, and a professional athlete should not think about how to earn a living, otherwise he will never reach the top.

Getting older and stronger, the guy began to stand out from his rivals, and the father-coach realized that his eldest son is a unique nugget who can make the whole world talk about himself. If before that Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov had been relying more on judo and saw his son as a future champion on the tatami, then he realized that Khabib was a potential leader in mixed martial arts. In addition, the guy himself was more inclined towards combat sambo.

His idols were also sambists – Fedor Emelianenko, Rustam Khabilov, Rustam Mukhtarov, whose skill he never ceases to admire until now. A talented fighter was able to learn something from each of them, and thanks to the efforts of his father, who gave him excellent initial training and instilled confidence in himself, Khabib’s sports career confidently rushed up.

Sports achievements and fights

At 23, Nurmagomedov became the youngest Russian fighter in UFC history. The Americans immediately appreciated Khabib’s skill and invited a promising athlete to their organization. From that moment on, the worthy son of the Avar people, nicknamed “Eagle”, held many fights in the main rings of the world, each of which ended in his triumph. The shepherd’s hat became the symbol of the fighter – this is how he expresses pride in his people and devotion to the traditions of the Avars.

The strongest opponents, such as Gleyson Tibau (July 2012), Kamal Shalorus (January 2012), Thiago Tavares (January 2013), Khabib was able to confidently knock out and defeat with the help of his “signature” choke.

The years 2014-15 were not easy for the athlete: he received several complex injuries and was out of action, although he retained his undefeated status. In 2016, he triumphantly returned to the ring, confidently defeating Darrell Horcher.

The fight with Michael Johnson finally confirmed the high level of training of the Russian wrestler: the American underestimated the opponent and was defeated in the third round. The referee was forced to stop the fight, as Khabib used a painful hold – Johnson could not even ask to stop the fight.

The fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson was broken several times. They were supposed to meet in the ring in the summer of 2014, but the plans were thwarted by the injury of the Russian. In April 2016, the meeting did not take place due to Ferguson’s injury. The fight was postponed to March 2017 – and again a failure: before weighing, Habib was hospitalized with suspected kidney stones.

A lot of hype has risen around the fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor, the cheeky Irishman, nicknamed “unreal”. Immediately after the victory over Michael Johnson, not yet leaving the ring, Nurmagomedov challenged him to a duel, calling him an “Irish chicken.” McGregor did not practice trash talk, but hinted that Nurmagomedov still had to earn a fight with him. However, in the summer of 2017, he changed his mind. In full preparation for the fight against boxer Floyd Mayweather (and according to the rules of boxing), he nevertheless expressed his desire with the offender in Russia. Khabib later said in an interview that the likelihood of their meeting in December 2017 is very high.

However, on December 30, 2017, Nurmagomedov met in the ring not with McGregor, but with Edson Barboza, a wrestler from Rio de Janeiro. The father of the Russian athlete noted that Barboza is a great drummer, but by the second round “everything will fall into place.” And so it happened, and Khabib’s advantage was obvious already in the first round. In the third round, the Brazilian, who bravely stood to the end, fell, and Nurmagomedov was credited with the 9th victory in the UFC and the 25th in his entire sports career.

The fight with McGregor, which nevertheless took place on October 6, 2018, ended with the victory of the Dagestan. In the first round, the advantage was with Khabib, who used a signature fighting grip. The Irishman lay on the floor for almost all 5 minutes. The second round was also led by Nurmagomedov. In the third round, the fighters met in a standing position, McGregor delivered several blows to the opponent, but it was clear that he was exhausted.

The fourth round was the final: Khabib applied a choke, and Conor gave up.

But the fight didn’t end there. Without waiting for the verdict of the judges, Nurmagomedov left the octagon and rushed into the hall. There was a skirmish with Dillon Danis, the jiu-jitsu coach from McGregor’s team. At this time, two people from the Dagestan team attacked Conor. The police rushed to the ring. Nurmagomedov’s victory was credited, but three of his comrades were taken to the police. The Irishman did not write a statement against them; he later tweeted that he wanted a rematch.

April 7, 2018 Khabib was supposed to finally meet in the ring with Tony Ferguson, but the fight was canceled again. This time, through the fault of Tony, he was injured. The fact that instead of Ferguson, Al Iaquinta would enter the ring against him, Nurmagomedov found out the day before the fight. The fight ended with the victory of Nurmagomedov (although Al survived all 5 rounds, and Khabib failed to finish the fight ahead of schedule) and the athlete was awarded the lightweight champion belt. Thus, he became the first Russian MMA fighter to win the UFC title.

September 7, 2019 Nurmagomedov met in the ring with American Dustin Poirier. Khabib’s opponent fell in the third round – the Dagestani applied a branded choke hold, and Poirier asked to stop the fight.

Personal life of Khabib Nurmagomedov

Khabib professes Islam, does not drink, does not smoke, regularly makes a pilgrimage to Mecca with his brother and strictly observes all the basic commandments of the Koran, including not fighting during Ramadan.

For me, fasting in Ramadan is more important than any fight

He tries not to let anyone into his personal life, so until now those around him have not seen the face of his wife Patimat, carefully hidden behind a thick veil.

Khabib met Patimat in his school years. Even then, feelings arose between the young people, but the circumstances did not develop in the most favorable way. By the age of 23, Khabib, then a novice UFC fighter, figured out his feelings and asked Patimat’s hand in marriage from her older relatives. In 2013, the lovers got married. She spends all her time at home, raising her daughter (born 2015) and two sons (2017 and 2019) and praying to Allah for the success and prosperity of her famous husband.

Many famous personalities are friends with the wrestler, including the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov. In the spring of 2017, Nurmagomedov visited the famous boxer Mike Tyson. The athletes exchanged gifts: Tyson presented the guest with an autographed glove, and Khabib presented that hat, similar to his own.

Khabib Nurmagomedov now

The fight between Nurmagomedov and Ferguson was scheduled for April 2024, but due to the coronavirus pandemic, it did not take place. And after the defeat of Ferguson in a fight with Justin Gaethje, the Dagestani has a new opponent.

In April, Khabib’s father and main mentor was hospitalized with pneumonia. Later it turned out that he had contracted the coronavirus. At first he was treated in Dagestan, but local specialists could not choose the right tactics, and Abdulmanap was transferred to Moscow. On May 13, the media reported that the coach fell into a coma, and even his relatives are not allowed to see him.

Despite subsequent reports in a number of media outlets claiming that the man was on the mend, on July 3, the Baza edition, referring to the head of Chechnya and a big fan of martial arts Ramzan Kadyrov, reported that Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov had died.

On the evening of October 24, 2024, Khabib Nurmagomedov entered the ring against Justin Gaethje. In the first round, Gaethje went on the attack without stopping, but to no avail, but his opponent, right before the sound of the gong, nevertheless reached the goal and knocked out the American fighter. The second round, and with it the fight, ended very quickly – with a painful hold that Khabib applied. Justin admitted defeat, and the Dagestani burst into tears and hugged his opponent.

Right on the octagon, Nurmagomedov, throwing gloves, turned to the audience. He said that he spent this fight as a tribute to the memory of his father and is now ending his career because he does not want to do this without his mentor.

In 2008, when I started this and when I signed with the UFC in 2012, no one believed. I am a simple kid from a mountain village, Google says that I am the most talked about person. But, remember, if you have parents, then be close to them. You never know what will happen. I have one mother left, and I want to be next to her now.

After the victory of Khabib, the streets of Dagestan were filled with joyful residents. They blocked the streets, fireworks, danced lezginka. Many were dressed in hats, like Khabib.

In March 2024, the UFC removed the name of the wrestler from the ratings – Nurmagomedov’s career officially ended. But Khabib won’t quit MMA. He intends to start a coaching career. He took his cousin Abubakar Nurmagomedov under his wing, who started his career in the UFC with a victorious fight with Jared Gooden.