Khabib Nurmagomedov, the former undefeated UFC lightweight champion and one of Russia’s most prominent mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters, has announced plans to travel to Baku, Azerbaijan.
The news was shared by Nurmagomedov himself via his Instagram stories, where he confirmed his upcoming visit to the Azerbaijani capital, Caliber.Az reports.
“We’re flying to hospitable Azerbaijan together with Tagir. Only victory,” he wrote, referring to fellow fighter Tagir Ulanbekov.
The visit comes ahead of the UFC tournament scheduled for 21 June at Baku Crystal Hall. As part of the event, Ulanbekov is set to face Japanese fighter Kyoji Horiguchi.
Khabib Nurmagomedov, born on September 20, 1988, in Dagestan, Russia, is a retired mixed martial artist renowned for his undefeated record of 29-0. He held the UFC Lightweight Championship from April 2018 until his retirement in October 2020, achieving the longest title reign in the division's history at 931 days.
Khabib's fighting style was characterized by dominant grappling and relentless pressure. He set a UFC record with 21 takedowns in a single fight against Abel Trujillo at UFC 160. Notable victories include submissions over Conor McGregor at UFC 229 and Justin Gaethje at UFC 254. The win over McGregor was particularly significant, as Khabib described it as the highlight of his career.
Following the death of his father and coach, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, Khabib retired after his victory over Gaethje, citing his father's absence as a reason. He was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in July 2022.
Post-retirement, Khabib has focused on coaching, mentoring fighters like Islam Makhachev and his cousin Umar Nurmagomedov, both of whom have achieved significant success in the UFC.
By Aghakazim Guliyev
Source: caliber.az
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