In the Dagestan village of Kirovaul, the funeral of the honored trainer of Russia Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov was held. The farewell ceremony with the father of the champion of the Absolute Fighting Championship (UFC) Khabib Nurmagomedov took place on the night of July 3–4, several hours after his death. This was told in the press service of the Kizilyurt district, in which 57-year-old mixed martial arts specialist lived.
“The funeral of Abdulmanap Magomedovich has just ended. Relatives and friends of the family of the deceased took part in them, ”the agency informed TASS.
Among those who attended the funeral was the head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov, the first to report the death of Nurmagomedov Sr. To express his condolences to the trainer's family, he arrived with members of the government of his region.
“They were met by the head of the Kizilyurt region Magomed Shabanov. After Ramzan Akhmatovich, along with his companions, expressed condolences to the family of the deceased, the delegation from Chechnya left, ”the press service added.
The plane with the body of Nurmagomedov arrived from Moscow to Makhachkala the day before. At the airport of the Dagestan capital he was met by both relatives and the leadership of the republic. After this, the deceased was taken to his native village by car.
The Nurmagomedov family asked everyone who wanted to say goodbye to him and attend a funeral to refuse this. Relatives of the trainer expressed concern that a large crowd at a farewell ceremony could cause a new outbreak of coronavirus. It was because of the new infection that Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov was in serious condition and was forced to fight for his life for two and a half months.
“I want to ask all the relatives who want to come to condolences, so that they abstain, so that they somehow contacted by phone. I would not want this pneumonia to spread further. You know what tragedies and what burdens we all suffered because of this disease, ”said brother of the trainer Nurmagomed Nurmagomedov in a video message.
Irina Rodnina, three-time Olympic figure skating champion, commented on the role that the coronavirus played in the death of Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov. The State Duma deputy believes that this tragic incident will have to teach other people to observe safety measures against the disease.
“Nurmagomedov lived a worthy life, raised a good son and was an example for many. It is a pity that he left so early. I think his death will be a lesson for many. If they said to wear masks, gloves, use disinfectants and stay at home, then a civilized person should follow these requirements. Does this indicate that restrictions cannot be removed? Here you need to listen to virologists and specialists, ”Rodnina told Sport-Express.
The death of Nurmagomedov Sr. influenced the plans of some Russian mixed-style wrestlers. Tagir Ulanbekov and Umar Nurmagomedov, the nephew of the deceased trainer, were supposed to fly to Fight Island in Abu Dhabi on the day of the funeral to participate in UFC tournaments. However, both of them remained in Russia.
The match between Ulabnekov and Alexander Doskalchuk, which was to take place on July 18, has already been canceled. Russian wrestler will be replaced by Canadian athlete Malcolm Gordon. Nurmagomedov is due to meet with Nathaniel Wood on July 25 and make his debut in the main MMA promotion. This battle is still in question.
To interrupt his career in mixed martial arts, they are now calling on Khabib Nurmagomedov. According to MMA fighter Sergei Kharitonov, the UFC champion should abandon the September fight with Justin Gatgi.
“I believe that Habib needs to cancel the fight, which should be held in September. But this is my advice, Habib makes the decision himself. Still, the loss of a father is a great grief. Moreover, Abdulmanap was both a father, and a coach, and the closest person to Khabib. I wish him to take courage, to survive this pain. We are always there and also worry, ”Kharitonov told the Championship.
The athlete himself, having lost both his father and coach, has not yet commented on the latest tragic events. On July 4, he was supposed to give a press conference online, but it was canceled the day before.