“This is my legacy, I can inspire millions of children”: Khabib Nurmagomedov officially inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame

Khabib Nurmagomedov has been officially inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.

The ceremony took place on Friday night Moscow time in Las Vegas.

Together with the Russian, a jacket with a gold lining and a brand name, as well as a special statuette, was received by ex-world champion in light heavyweight and heavyweight Daniel Cormier.

According to Khabib, before the ceremony, they jokingly argued about who would go to receive the award first.

As a result, an American came on the stage of the T-Mobile Arena first, and the awarding of the Russian crowned the ceremony. 

Speaking to numerous spectators, Nurmagomedov spoke about his development in sports.

His emotional speech was primarily dedicated to his father Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, who passed away almost two years ago due to complications caused by a coronavirus infection.

Khabib noted that he grew up in a small Dagestan village, and his family lived quite poorly.

But the father sold the house and moved the future athlete, his brother, as well as many cousins ​​to the capital: a total of 15 people.

All the brothers lived in the same house, went to school and trained, and Abdulmanap invested all his resources in them - time, energy, money.

According to the athlete, his father taught him a variety of styles - combat sambo, freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling, grappling, pankration - and even sent him to fight bears.

“Six world champions, UFC champions, many champions and very good people came out of this house ... He gave us a good education.

He gave us the opportunity to study in good schools, universities, he invested [in us] everything he had.

Throughout his life he has invested in people.

For me, this is a huge motivation,” said Nurmagamedov.

He noted that his father had a decisive influence on his development as an athlete and as a person.

At the same time, Khabib rethought many values ​​​​only after the death of Abdulmanap Magomedovich.

At the beginning of his professional career, the athlete said, he was more frivolous - he dreamed of becoming a champion and earning a lot of money in order to be able to buy whatever he wanted.

But now, having achieved all these goals, the famous fighter understands that money and fame are not the main thing at all.

“I can do whatever I want.

I can buy any house in the world, but this is a good reminder for me.

I'm not like that.

This is not what my father taught me.

This makes me very happy, because I remember that ten years ago I thought in a completely different way.

But what happened in the last two years has changed me, changed my way of thinking.

It happened on July 3, 2020, almost two years ago.

For two years now my father has not been with me.

It's very hard for me to stand here and talk about him.

For me, this is a very emotional moment, ”the athlete admitted. 

Nurmagomedov ended his career in 2020, and this decision was largely influenced by the death of his father.

Announcing it, Khabib emphasized that he wanted to spend more time with his mother in order to support her during this difficult period.

In his final fight, Orel defeated Justin Gaethje at UFC 254. In total, he has 29 wins in 29 fights, eight of them by knockout.

After leaving the sport, the fighter decided to take up coaching and promotional activities, and, according to him, he tries to live the same way his father once did - to invest in people, since this is the best investment.

“Regarding what I’m doing now: believe me, if nothing happens, in the next 4-5 years, three more UFC champions will come out of our hall.

Just trust me.

You can save this video, then you will understand what I am talking about now, ”said the fighter. 

On the eve of the ceremony, Khabib was asked about the best moment of his career, and he called the fight with Conor McGregor, which took place on October 6, 2018.

“It was here (at the T-Mobile Arena -

), the biggest fight in the history of MMA.

And I am very glad that I won it.

I could lose any fight, but not this one, ”admitted Oryol.

In that fight, Nurmagomedov defeated a principled rival by a choke in the fourth round and retained his lightweight title.

However, after the fight, the fighter got into a fight with one of the Irishman's trainers, for which he was subsequently disqualified for nine months and fined half a million dollars.

Recently, in the world of martial arts, they have begun to talk more and more actively about the possible return of Khabib to the octagon, but he himself does not comment on these rumors.

And he called getting into the UFC Hall of Fame first of all an opportunity to set an example and attract the younger generation to the sport.

“This is my legacy.

I was born in a poor village, no one in the world even knows where it is, but I can motivate and inspire millions of children around the world, ”said the fighter on ESPN.