Khabib Nurmagomedov says one voice mattered more than the millions watching before he faced Conor McGregor: his father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.
Speaking with Lex Fridman, the undefeated former UFC lightweight champion explained how Abdulmanap kept him mentally grounded through the pressure surrounding UFC 229. h/t Red Corner MMA.
Abdulmanap Turned Pressure Into A Choice
Khabib said his father could not travel to the United States for the fight because he did not have a visa. That distance made Abdulmanap’s judgment even more important to him. The official English dub renders Khabib’s complete answer in the source clip as follows:
“For me, since he didn’t have a visa, I just had to know exactly what he thought. I didn’t care what anyone else thought. I didn’t care about the opinions of, like, millions, tens of millions, hundreds of millions watching this fight. I only ever cared about one person and his take, what he thought and what he’d say to me. But I couldn’t call him and say, ‘Father, what do you think about this?’ Well, we never had that. Well, you had to wait. I would just call and wait to hear what he’d say. And my father, he knew exactly where to draw the line because he was in the exact same position with his own father since his own father was still around. And then he had a son, too, right? And he understood me, how I felt about him, since his relationship with his own father was the same way. And in that sense, back then, my father really kept me grounded mentally. He even told me something once. Do you know how diamonds are, like, actually made? Under great pressure. He says, ‘You’re under great pressure, and you have a choice. You can break down and give up, or you can get through it all properly, clearly, with dignity. Go in, prepare right, make weight, recover, go in, win, and settle it once and for all.'”
The full interview segment is available below, beginning at the discussion of Abdulmanap’s guidance:
That instruction went beyond winning. Abdulmanap gave his son a sequence: prepare correctly, make weight, recover, carry the pressure with dignity, then settle the rivalry inside the cage.
Khabib Settled The Rivalry At UFC 229
Nurmagomedov faced McGregor on October 6, 2018, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. He dropped McGregor in the second round, controlled long stretches on the ground, then forced the former two-division champion to submit to a neck crank in round four.
The result moved Nurmagomedov to 27-0 and marked the first defense of the undisputed UFC lightweight title he had won against Al Iaquinta. He later submitted Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje, retiring at 29-0 with three successful title defenses. McGregor remains 22-7.
The rivalry never fully cooled. Daniel Cormier recently said McGregor crossed permanent lines involving family and religion. Nurmagomedov has also refused to reopen the McGregor discussion, while McGregor has continued to attack his former opponent’s legacy.
His Father’s Standard Stayed With Him
Abdulmanap died in July 2020 after complications related to COVID-19. Khabib fought once more, submitting Gaethje at UFC 254 that October before announcing his retirement in the cage. He said he had promised his mother he would not continue without his father beside him.
The new account adds a precise detail to the most pressurized fight of his career. Khabib did not describe Abdulmanap telling him to chase anger or spectacle. His father’s message was to stay composed, do every part of the job correctly, and let the result settle the matter.
