At the UFC 242 tournament in Abu Dhabi, Habib Nurmagomedov held his second defense of the lightweight title, defeating Dustin Porrier. A little over a week and a half has passed since this fight, but the Russian fighter continues to be in the spotlight. So, on Tuesday, he went on the air of Channel One and answered a series of questions not only about his future career in mixed martial arts, but also about his personal life.
So, one of the topics concerned his relationship with his mother. In his many interviews, the champion very often spoke about his father, and in Abu Dhabi this topic even became one of the central ones. Due to visa problems, Abdulmanap could not attend his son’s fights in the USA, as a result of which Khabib could not count on his advice in the corner. However, in the UAE, these difficulties did not arise, and Nurmagomedov Sr. was able not only to act as a second, but also to take part in the final stage of preparation for the battle.
As for mom, then, according to Habib, before she did not watch the fights with his participation, as she was very worried. However, lately everything has changed.
“Now there are no options. The whole country, the whole world is watching, and it has to. But only moments. He leaves, enters, asks from another room: “How is the battle going on there?” He is experiencing. Mom is mom, ”admitted Nurmagomedov.
The athlete says that he communicates daily with his mother - calls up her several times a day. According to him, she does not ask about preparations for the fight, but she always gives one piece of advice.
“Son, do yours. Transfer to the ground and finish right away. No need to beat people. Make painful, suffocating and let knock to end this, ”said Habib.
Also, the success of Nurmagomedova is monitored by his four-year-old daughter. The duel with Porje was the first one she watched closely, said the athlete. Previously, she could follow his progress in the octagon, but rather did it unknowingly, Habib explained.
“I came home, and she described to me, explained something, said. She watched this fight, ”Nurmagomedov said.
At the same time, Khabib said that he himself was actively involved in the upbringing of his daughter and did not consider this to be exclusively the prerogative of his mother. At the moment, Nurmagomedov has two children: in 2015, a girl was born in the family, and two years later - the son of Magomed. Moreover, in the near future the athlete is waiting for the next replenishment.
“If you want, you don’t want, but a daughter is a daughter, a son is a son, and everyone should have different attention, direction. She will not go in for sports, but, let’s say, I’ll have to grow a decent girl out of her, ”the fighter said.
As for his son, he will soon have to learn all the intricacies of martial arts. Nurmagomedov said that Magomed would definitely train, but could not unequivocally answer whether he was going to grow a professional athlete out of him. He promised to support his endeavors, but assured that he was not going to put pressure on him and forcibly demand sports.
“I think I'm kinder than my father. Unlike him, my attitude towards children is slightly different. Because I see them less often, and I always had it at home and in the hall. Sometimes I did not see him - when I went to school. But he was always in touch with my class teacher, and found out about any of my minuses while I was going home, ”the athlete shared.
Over the past few years, Nurmagomedov has come from a famous martial artist in narrow circles to a world-class star. He managed to become the UFC champion, take part in the most discussed battle in the history of MMA with Conor McGregor, and also get on the cover of Forbes magazine. In addition, for a long time he was among the leaders in the number of Instagram followers among Russians, and after defeating Porie he broke into a clean first place.
“This is not so important to me. I just lead Instagram, show my life - what is possible, what is not. And people are interested in watching, watching her. The more subscribers, the more pressure, responsibility. This is felt, ”admitted Habib.
He also said that he is currently studying at the university and in the future wants to become an economist.
“The economy is relevant everywhere. I want to approach my capital wisely, open my own charity direction, business, so that there is no such thing that after some time I will be left without anything. Yes, today I’m a champion, in sight. We have so many examples when world personalities lose everything they have gained. I would like to rationalize this, ”said Nurmagomedov.
Nevertheless, the main topic of conversation was Habib’s career in MMA. The UFC 242 tournament showed that the current champion is able to provide great attention to the audience without McGregor. According to SB Nation, in Russia alone, about 26 million people watched the show, while in the United States their number was 1-2 million.
It is worth recalling that in Russia the duel with the participation of Khabib was broadcast on the federal television channel, and in the USA - exclusively on the Pay-Per-View system. Considering the fact that the broadcast sales record belongs to the UFC 229 tournament with the participation of Nurmagomedov and McGregor (2.4 million), this result can be considered at least successful.
In light of this, there is every reason to believe that in the near future the UFC will decide to organize a fight involving Nurmagomedov in Russia. Moreover, the fighter himself is confident in the reality of such a scenario.
“Negotiations with the UFC are underway. I really want to fight here. Need somewhere in Moscow or in St. Petersburg. I am 80% sure that my next fight will take place in Russia, ”said Habib.
At the same time, he admitted that he does not want to put pressure on the UFC leadership in the person of Dana White and prefers to operate with numbers.
“I can just advise him, and he saw the ratings: Channel One, the entire UFC 242, which was held in Abu Dhabi - how great the performance was not only in Russia, around the world. So I think that they will be happy to host the tournament here, ”the champion expressed his opinion.
After the victory over McGregor surrounded by Nurmagomedov, they repeatedly mentioned the imminent completion of an athlete's career. This was expressed both by his father Abdulmanap and managers Rizvan Magomedov and Ali Abdel-Aziz. It was usually said that Habib would hold two or three fights, after which he would hang gloves on a nail. This theory was confirmed in the words of the champion himself.
“My father told me that his peak of physical form occurred somewhere between 32 and 33 years old. After he felt that he was already in decline. I also tell him how I felt recently. He notes: “You can still fight for two years. I’ll tell you when I see some disadvantages in your routine or training. In the meantime, do it, observe discipline and we will speak, ”said Nurmagomedov.
At the moment, Habib has a winning streak of 28 fights. Most of them were won in Russian promotions, and the last 12 were mined in the UFC. According to the athlete, before leaving the sport, he is going to win at least two more fights.
“At a minimum, there must be 30 victories. Yes, thirty - it will be normal. But I would like to have three or four fights, ”the athlete concluded.