Shamil Zavurov, the Eagle FC president and cousin of Khabib Nurmagomedov, has detailed why ‘The Eagle’ is stepping away from MMA.
After retiring from the UFC in 2020, ‘The Eagle’ continued to have a significant influence in MMA as a coach and promoter. Earlier this month, the former UFC lightweight champion announced he wanted to dedicate more time to his family. Zavurov recently spoke with a reporter in Russian to discuss Nurmagomedov’s decision. He had this to say:
“Well, as always, the media blows everything out of proportion. Always, this happens… Khabib simply gathered the guys and explained to them that in the past year, he had not missed one competition. He traveled to every single competition…Either Islam is getting ready, or Usman, or Umar, or Tagir, or Zubaira… So, he took a look at the situation, weighed it out, and realized that in the past year, he was only home 2-3 months…”
‘The Eagle’ is a significant contributor to the success of UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev and Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov. Both fighters have an upcoming title defense, but Khabib won’t be associated to the same extent. Meanwhile, the UFC Hall of Famer will still work with Eagle FC to ensure the promotion succeeds.
Shamil Zavurov says Khabib Nurmagomedov is dedicating more time to his family while still helping with Eagle FC
Khabib Nurmagomedov was dedicating the majority of his time to MMA, despite having a wife and three children. During the same Russian interview, Shamil Zavurov had this to say about Nurmagomedov wanting to spend more time with his family:
“So, he very carefully explained to the guys that he has a family and that he needs to devote more time to them… Nothing has changed. We will still help and support each other as before. Just Khabib won’t be going anywhere. He won’t always be traveling with them and spending so much time with them. He’s going to be spending a bit more time with his family. That’s all it is…”
The UFC Hall of Famer purchased the Russian MMA promotion Eagle Fighting Championship in 2020. Once ‘The Eagle’ announced he would be dedicating less time to MMA, there were concerns about his commitment to Eagle FC. Zavurov explained Nurmagomedov’s future with Eagle FC by saying:
“Of course, like things were before there won’t be a time like that again. But to just leave, I don’t think is possible… We will continue our efforts in moving forward Eagle FC. We understand that if Khabib leaves, the organization will fall apart tomorrow. Eagle FC depends on Khabib…”
Nurmagomedov retired from fighting with a perfect record of 29-0. Despite consistent efforts from Dana White to make him return, ‘The Eagle’ fulfilled his mother’s wish to retire after his father passed away in 2020.
