Khabib Nurmagomedov (UFC) Wiki, Height, Weight, Age, Wife, Family, Biography & More

Khabib Nurmagomedov (Хабиб Нурмагомедов) is a former Russian professional mixed martial artist who fought in the Welterweight and Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He held his Lightweight Championship Title from April 2018 to March 2021, making him the longest-reigning champion in this category. He retired with a record of 29-0 with no defeat ever. On 30 June 2022, he was honoured in the UFC Hall of Fame. He is regarded as one of the best Mixed Martial Artists to ever fight. Khabib is the first-ever Muslim to become a UFC champion. He promoted the Eagle Fighting Championship and became a coach after retirement.

Wiki/Biography

Khabib Abdulmanapovich Nurmagomedov was born on Tuesday, 20 September 1988 (age 35 years; as of 2023) in the village of Sildi in the Tsumadinsky District of the Dagestan ASSR, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union. His zodiac sign is Virgo.

Khabib’s family originally belonged to Sildi and later settled in Kirovaul. There his father the lower part of their house into a gym. Khabib used to watch the students practising along with his cousins which helped him realise his love for the sport. He started training at the age of 8 and was guided by his father Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, an accomplished athlete and former member of the Soviet Army. He was an expert in the field of judo and sambo which he used to train the young students and his own son. Khabib was taught martial arts in order to provide him and the other children an alternative to religion prevalent in Islamic extremism.

In 2001, Khabib and his family relocated to Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan, where Khabib began his training at 12 and took up judo at 15. By the age of 17, under his father’s guidance, he moved back to training for sambo. He found the shift from judo to wrestling challenging, but his father aimed for him to adapt to competing in a gi jacket. His father coached the national combat Sambo team and trained various Sambo athletes in Makhachkala. As a youngster, Khabib engaged in numerous street fights before directing his energy into mixed martial arts.

Physical Appearance

Height (approx.): 5′ 10″

Weight (approx.): 70 kg

Hair Colour: Black

Eye Colour: Black

Body Measurements (approx.): Chest: 42″, Waist: 32″, Biceps: 14″

Family

Khabib belongs to an Avar family from the village of Sildi.

Parents & Siblings

His father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov was a former athlete, coach and member of the Soviet Army. His mother’s name is Fatima Nurmagomedov.

He has one brother, Magomed Nurmagomedov and one sister, Amina Nurmagomedov.

Cousins

He has two cousins. His first cousin’s name is Abubakar Nurmagomedov, who is also a Russian mixed martial artist. His second cousin’s name is Shamil Zavurov, who is a professional mixed martial artist.

Wife & Children

Khabib married Patimat in June 2013.

Khabib and his wife have three children. Their daughter, Fatima Nurmagomedov was born on 1 June 2015, and their first son, Magomed Nurmagomedov, was born on 30 December 2017. Their second son, Husayn Nurmagomedov, was born on 22 December 2019.

Signature/Autograph

Religion

Khabib is a Sunni Muslim. ¹

Career

Early Career- Mixed Martial Arts

Nurmagomedov began his MMA career in September 2008 and won four fights within a month. By 11 October, he won the Atrium Cup tournament champion title in Moscow. Over the next three years, he maintained an undefeated streak, defeating 11 of 12 opponents, including Shahbulat Shamhalaev in his M-1 Global debut. In 2011, Nurmagomedov got seven victories in the ProFC promotion, all through TKO or submission.

His impressive 16–0 record across Russian and Ukrainian regional circuits caught the attention of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). However, disputes with ProFC led to 11 court cases concerning the validity of Khabib’s UFC contract. After going through 11 court cases, an agreement was made, allowing Khabib to continue his career.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Early UFC fights and championship pursuits

In 2011, Nurmagomedov signed a contract for six fights with the UFC’s lightweight division. He made his UFC debut on 20 January 2012 and won against Kamal Shalorus with a third-round submission at UFC on FX 1. Later, on 7 July 2012 at UFC 148, he won against Gleison Tibau by unanimous decision, with scores of 30–27 from all judges.

In January 2013, Nurmagomedov defeated Thiago Tavares by first-round TKO at UFC on FX 7. After the match, Tavares was suspended for nine months due to positive reports of steroid tests. Later, in May 2013 at UFC 160, Nurmagomedov won against Abel Trujillo by unanimous decision, with all judges marking it 30–27. Nurmagomedov was over the weight limit at the weigh-ins, so they agreed to a catchweight match, with him forfeiting part of his purse. During the fight, he set a UFC record with 21 successful takedowns out of 28 attempts.

On 21 September 2013, in his fifth UFC fight at UFC 165, Nurmagomedov faced Pat Healy. He was fully dominating the fight and won the match via unanimous decision. He got a scoring of 30–27 from all judges. He attended his first post-event press conference, where UFC president Dana White praised him as a newcomer stating,

That slam, when he just scoops him up and slams him, Matt Hughes style. That reminded me of the old Matt Hughes where he would run a guy across the Octagon and slam him. The kid is exciting. We’re probably going to do big things with this kid.”

In December, Nurmagomedov proposed a fight with Gilbert Melendez on his social media. They were set to fight at UFC 170 on 22 February 2014. But due to unknown reasons, the fight was cancelled. Nate Diaz was chosen as Melendez’s replacement, but Diaz declined the fight. Nurmagomedov was disappointed by that and he appeared on The MMA Hour and said,

If they say that they’re willing to fight the best, they should fight the best. If they want, I’ll take them both at once in the cage.” ²

Khabib vs Pat Healy

In April 2014, Nurmagomedov fought former UFC Lightweight Champion Rafael dos Anjos and secured a unanimous decision win by dominating the fight and getting a score of 30–27 from all judges. Later, he was set to fight Donald Cerrone in September 2014 at UFC 178, but due to a knee injury, he was unable to fight. The fight was rescheduled for May 2015 at UFC 187, but the recurring knee issue forced Nurmagomedov out again. He was later replaced by John Makdessi. Nurmagomedov was scheduled to fight against Tony Ferguson in the Ultimate Fighter 22 Finale on 11 December 2015. However, Nurmagomedov withdrew from the fight in late October due to an injury and was replaced by Edson Barboza.

The fight with Ferguson had been rescheduled for 16 April 2016 at UFC on Fox 19. Ferguson, though, withdrew from the fight on April 5 due to a lung problem. Ferguson was substituted by promotional newcomer Darrell Horcher. Nurmagomedov defeated his opponent by TKO in the second round while dominating the match.

In September 2016, he signed two contracts for a title shot against the reigning Eddie Alvarez, the former UFC Lightweight Champion. He wanted to have it on either the UFC 205 or the UFC 206 fight card, as confirmed with Dana White for UFC 205. But on 26 September, it was announced by the UFC that Alvarez would defend his title against Conor McGregor. Nurmagomedov called out Alvarez on his social media stating him to be a “bullshit champ” on his social media. He was displeased with the fact that McGregor was chosen instead of him and called UFC to be a “freak show.”

In November 2016, Nurmagomedov defeated Michael Johnson at UFC 205, during which he asked Dana White for a title shot. He was set to face Tony Ferguson for the interim Lightweight Championship at UFC 209 in March 2017. However, due to complications from a weight cut, the fight was cancelled. In December 2017, at UFC 219, Nurmagomedov faced Edson Barboza. He dominated the match with his ground-and-pound strategy and won by a unanimous decision. Due to his performance, he earned his first “Performance of the Night” bonus.

UFC Lightweight Champion

Nurmagomedov vs. Iaquinta

Nurmagomedov was scheduled to face Ferguson in April 2018 at UFC 223, but he faced a change of opponents twice. Initially, Ferguson was replaced by Max Holloway due to a knee injury. However, the New York State Athletic Commission later declared Holloway unfit to compete because of weight-cutting issues. Al Iaquinta stepped in as the replacement, though he was not the UFC’s first choice and came in slightly over the weight limit. Thus, only Nurmagomedov was eligible to win the championship. Dominating the match, Nurmagomedov won by a unanimous decision and became the UFC Lightweight Champion.

Nurmagomedov vs. McGregor

On 3 August 2018, UFC declared that Khabib Nurmagomedov would defend his lightweight title against Conor McGregor at UFC 229 in Las Vegas on 6 October 2018. Although Nurmagomedov won the initial two rounds, he experienced his first-round loss in the UFC to McGregor in the third. However, Khabib managed to secure a victory in the fourth round through submission. After the fight, a heated argument broke out when Khabib jumped over the Octagon to confront McGregor’s teammate, Dillon Danis, leading to a clash between both teams. This victory marked Khabib’s undefeated record to 27–0. This made him the person holding the longest winning streak in UFC history at the time.

 

Nurmagomedov vs. Poirier

Nurmagomedov signed a new multi-fight contract with the UFC in June 2019. In his first fight, he was able to make a second title defence against former interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier in the main event at UFC 242 on 7 September 2019. He was able to defeat Poirier by a raked neck choke in the third round, which also earned him his second. In order to show respect after the fight, they both exchanged shirts and Nurmagomedov said that he would be selling the shirt given to him and donate the amount received to Poirier’s charity.

Nurmagomedov vs. Gaethje

On 18 April 2020, Nurmagomedov was set to defend his title against Tony Ferguson at UFC 249. This marked the fifth scheduled fight between them, and both of them maintained 12-fight winning streaks in the UFC. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and travel restrictions in Russia, Nurmagomedov was unable to participate. Due to this, Ferguson faced Justin Gaethje for the interim UFC Lightweight Championship on the rescheduled date of 9 May, where Gaethje won the match, setting the stage for a match against Nurmagomedov. On 24 October 2020, a title unification fight took place between Nurmagomedov and Gaethje at UFC 254. Nurmagomedov won with a technical submission in the second round by a triangle choke. Following this victory, he announced his retirement during his post-fight interview, talking about a promise made to his mother to not continue his MMA career without his late father. After declaring his retirement, he said,

No way I’m going to come here without my father. It was first time after what happened with my father, when UFC called me about Justin, I talk with my mother three days. She doesn’t want me to go fight without my father but I promised her it was going to be my last fight. If I give my word, I have to follow this. It was my last fight here.”

Retirement after UFC

On 19 March 2019, Dana White announced that Khabib Nurmagomedov’s decision to retire had been accepted, despite many negotiations, and the UFC Lightweight Championship had been officially left open.

 

MMA Promoter

After his retirement, Khabib bought the Gorilla Fighting Championship (GFC), a Russian-based MMA promotion for $1 million and renamed it Eagle Fighting Championship (EFC).

MMA coach and cornerman

After his retirement in October 2020, Nurmagomedov became a coach alongside Javier Mendez at the American Kickboxing Academy. He mentored several new fighters such as UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev, Zubaira Tukhugov, Tagir Ulanbekov, Islam Mamedov, Gadzhi Rabadanov, Saygid Izagakhmaev, Belal Muhammad, and his family members Abubakar, Umar, and Usman Nurmagomedov. When Khabib went to support Islam Makhachev in his title defence at UFC 284, Nurmagomedov announced a complete retirement from all MMA activities in January 2023 to prioritize his family life.

Signature Move

Khabib uses his judo knowledge and skills to choke his opponents into submission.

 

Controversy

Khabib and Conor McGregor’s Incident at UFC 229

Following his win over Conor McGregor at UFC 229 on 6 October 2018, Nurmagomedov made a major controversy by jumping over the octagon fence to confront McGregor’s cornerman, Dillon Danis, who supposedly insulted him. Following the incident, an argument took place between McGregor and Khabib’s cousin, Abubakar Nurmagomedov, after McGregor punched Abubakar. Subsequently, McGregor was assaulted inside the octagon by two of Khabib’s cornermen, Zubaira Tukhugov and Esed Emiragaev. The incident led to the withholding of Nurmagomedov’s fight payment by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) until an investigation took place. Khabib later expressed his regret but blamed his reaction to McGregor’s previous provocations. On 29 January 2019, the NSAC subsequently sanctioned both fighters, and Nurmagomedov received a nine-month suspension (retroactive to the fight date) and a $500,000 fine, while McGregor faced a six-month ban and a $50,000 fine. Additionally, both Abubakar and Tukhugov received one-year suspensions and $25,000 fines. Unsatisfied with the NSAC’s decisions, Nurmagomedov expressed his unwillingness to fight in Nevada again. ³

He came to a post-fight interview and apologized to the NSAC, stating that he was offended by McGregor’s trash talk and the bus incident at UFC 223, saying

You cannot talk about religion. You cannot talk about nation. Guys, you cannot talk about these things. This is very important to me.” ⁴

Awards/Honors/Titles/Achievements

Honours

• Honorary Citizen of Grozny
  

  Khabib becomes Honorary Citizen of Grozny

• Honoured Worker of Physical Culture of the Chechen Republic

• Order For Services to the Republic of Dagestan

Sambo

Combat Sambo Federation of Russia

• 2009 Russian Combat Sambo Championships (−74 kg) Gold Medalist
  

  Khabib wins at Sambo Championship

World Combat Sambo Federation

• 2009 World Combat Sambo Championships (−74 kg) Gold Medalist

• 2010 World Combat Sambo Championships (−82 kg) Gold Medalist

ARB (Army Hand-to-Hand Combat)

Russian Union of Martial Arts

• European Champion of Army Hand-to-Hand Combat
  

  Khabib gets a Trophy

Pankration

International Pankration federation

• European Pankration Champion

Grappling

NAGA World Championship

• 2012 Men’s No-Gi Expert Welterweight Champion

• 2012 ADCC Rules No-Gi Expert Welterweight Champion

Mixed Martial Arts

Ultimate Fighting Championship

• UFC Hall of Fame (Modern-Era Wing, Class of 2022)
  

  Khabib gets Hall of Fame Honour

• UFC Lightweight Championship (One time)
  

  Khabib wins Lightweight Championship

• Three successful title defences
  

  Khabib’s Lightweight Championship belt after defending his title

  

  Khabib’s last Title Defence

• Tied for most title defences in UFC Lightweight division history (3) (w. B.J. Penn, Frankie Edgar and Benson Henderson)

• Tied for most consecutive title defences in UFC Lightweight division history (3) (w. B.J. Penn, Frankie Edgar and Benson Henderson)

• Tied for most title wins in UFC Lightweight division history (4) (w. B.J. Penn and Benson Henderson)

• Longest Lightweight champion reign in UFC history (1077 days)

• Most submissions win in UFC Lightweight division title fights (3)

• Tied for third-most submissions wins in title fights in UFC history (3) (w. Ronda Rousey, Matt Hughes and B.J. Penn)

• Tied for third longest win streak in UFC history (13) w. Georges St-Pierre, Max Holloway, Jon Jones and Demetrius Johnson

• Performance of the Night (Three times) vs. Edson Barboza, Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje

• Most takedowns in a single UFC fight (UFC 160: 21 takedowns on 28 attempts; 3 rounds) vs. Abel Trujillo

• Tied for most consecutive wins in UFC Lightweight division history (12) (w. Tony Ferguson)

• Second Russian UFC champion (after Oleg Taktarov)

• First Muslim UFC champion

• Third most control time in UFC Lightweight division history (1:29:08)

• Fifth highest control time percentage in UFC Lightweight division history (54.6%)

• Fourth most top position time in UFC Lightweight division history (1:04:28)

• Third most takedowns landed in UFC Lightweight division history (59)

• 2020 UFC Honors Submission of the Year vs. Justin Gaethje

M-1 Global

• M-1 Challenge: 2009 Selections

Atrium Cup

• Pankration Atrium Cup 2008 tournament winner

Sherdog.com

• 2013 Breakthrough Fighter of the Year

• 2016 Beatdown of the Year (UFC 205: vs. Michael Johnson)

• 2016 Comeback Fighter of the Year

Fightbooth.com

• 2013 Staredown of the Year (UFC 160: vs. Abel Trujillo)

MMAdna.nl

• 2017 Performance of the Year (UFC 219: vs. Edson Barboza)

MMAjunkie.com

• 2020 October Submission of the Month vs. Justin Gaethje

• 2022 Coach of the Year w. Javier Mendez

World MMA Awards

• 2016 International Fighter of the Year.

• 2021 Submission of the Year vs. Justin Gaethje at UFC 254

Wrestling Observer Newsletter

• Mixed Martial Arts Most Valuable (2020)

BBC Sports Personality World Sport Star of the Year

• 2020 World Sport Star of the Year

Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM)

• Best Sportsman in Russia

ESPY Award

• 2021 Best MMA Fighter

Lifetime Achievement Award- Dubai, 2023

Car Collection

• Toyota Tundra
  

  Khabib and his car

• Mercedes-Benz W124 300E, 1987

• Toyota Land Cruiser
  

  Khabib and his Land Cruiser

• BMW 6 Series
  

  Khabib’s BMW

• Mercedes-Benz S500
  

  Khabib in his Mercedes-Benz S500

• Mercedes-Benz AMG GT
  

  Khabib with his Mercedes-Benz AMG-GT

• Ferrari California T
  

  Khabib riding his Ferrari

• Lada Priora
  

  Khabib’s first car, Lada Priora

Bike Collection

Salary/Income

• UFC on FX: Guillard vs Miller – Jan 20/12 – W (Shalorus) – $16,000 ($8,000 to show, $8,000 win bonus)

• UFC 148 – July 7/12 – W (Tibau) – $20,000 ($10,000 to show, $10,000 win bonus)

• UFC on FX: Belfort vs Bisping – Jan 19/13 – W (Tavares) – $24,000 ($12,000 to show, $12,000 win bonus)

• UFC 160 – May 25/13 – W (Trujillo) – $25,200 ($14,000 to show, $14,000 win bonus, $2,800 fine for missing weight)

• UFC 165 – Sept 21/13 – W (Healy) – $46,000 ($23,000 to show, $23,000 win bonus)

• UFC on Fox: Werdum vs Browne – Apr 19/14 – W (dos Anjos) – $64,000 ($32,000 to show, $32,000 win bonus)

• UFC on Fox: Teixeira vs Evans – Apr 16/16 – W (Horcher) – $53,000 ($24,000 to show, $24,000 to show, $5,000 Reebok sponsorship)

• UFC 205 – Nov 12/16 – W (Johnson) – $57,000 ($26,000 to show, $26,000 win bonus, $5,000 Reebok sponsorship)

• UFC 219 – Dec 30/17 – W (Barboza) – $215,000 ($80,000 to show, $80,000 win bonus, $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus, $5,000 Reebok sponsorship)

• UFC 223 – Apr 7/18 – W (Iaquinta) – $530,000 ($500,000 to show, $30,000 fight week incentive pay)

• UFC 229 – Oct 6/18 – W (McGregor) – $1,540,000 ($2,000,000 to show, $40,000 fight week incentive pay, $500,000 fine for post-fight brawl)

• UFC 242 – Sept 7/19 – W (Poirier) – $6,090,000 ($6,000,000 to show, $40,000 fight week incentive pay, $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus)

• UFC 254 – Oct 24/20 – W (Gaethje) – $6,090,000 ($6,000,000 to show, $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus, $40,000 fight week incentive pay)

Total Career Earnings: $14,770,000 ⁵

Net Worth

As of August 2023, Khabib Nurmagomedov has a net worth of $ 45 Million. ⁶

Favourites

• Football Team: FC “Anzhi”

• Boxer: Muhammad Ali

• Actor: Matt Damon

• Colour: Blue

• Watch Brand: JACOB & CO.

• Animal: Bear

• Bird: Eagle

Facts/Trivia

• Khabib is also known by the nickname “the Eagle” in the octagon and by his fans.

• Khabib wears a wig-like hat on his head called Papakha, which is a traditional headwear in the Caucasus region of Eastern Europe/Western Asia. He wears it to pay tribute to his native culture and tradition.
  

  Khabib wearing his Papakha

• At the age of 9 years, Khabib used to wrestle with a bear under his father’s guidance.
  

  Khabib wrestling with a bear

• In UFC history, Khabib has won the most matches by submissions in the Lightweight Division.

• Khabib and Conor Mcgregor’s fight became the biggest MMA event ever and gave out the most revenue by pay-per-views and television viewership. In total, it made a record with 2.4 million pay-per-view buys, making it the highest-selling MMA event ever.
  

  Khabib and Conor’s poster

• After retirement, Khabib is the brand ambassador of many products like Fitroo Cereals and the Octazon app. He supports health and fitness by promoting Alhadaya health supplements. He also owns various businesses of his own such as Khabib Meat and Gorilla Energy drinks. People can also be provided with franchises by contacting his team.
  

  Brand ambassador of Fitroo- Khabib

  

  Khabib as the face of Octagon app

  

  Khabib’s post on Alhadaya products

  

  Meat by Khabib

• Khabib enjoys various outdoor activities such as horse riding, travelling and swimming.
  

  Khabib riding a horse

  

  A picture of Khabib swimming

  

  Khabib enjoys travelling and camping

• After his match with Dustin Poirier, Khabib sold the exchanged shirt which he exchanged after the game for $100,000 which was confirmed by Dana White and donated to Poirier’s charity.
  

  Khabib wearing Poirier’s tee shirt

• After winning his fight against Justin Gaethje, Daniel Cormier commented that Nurmagomedov used a triangle choke over an armbar to avoid injuring Gaethje during the match.

• Khabib is the only UFC fighter to ever get his own personalised collection of watches from Jacob & Co.
  

  Khabib’s special watch by Jacob & Co

• On 1 July 2022, Khabib was honoured in the UFC Hall of Fame on International Fight Week in Las Vegas.

• As a coach and mentor to UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev, Khabib has always been alongside him in every match to support and guide him, just like his father did during his fights.
  

  Khabib watching and guiding Islam

• Khabib is often referred to as one of the strongest fighters ever as people claimed that in a sport full of blood, he is the only fighter to never get have been scratched.

• In collaboration with Meta Gameplan, Khabib has launched a mobile game for Android and iOS users to play as the UFC characters.
  

  Khabib’s mobile game

• Khabib follows a strict and non-vegetarian diet. He also does fasting during Ramadan and other religious events.
  

  Khabib’s breakfast

• Khabib owns a personal website which showcases his journey thought-out his life and all related media.
  

  Khabib’s official website

• Khabib is known to meet and collab with various social media celebrities such as Czn Burak and Hasbulla. In his social media posts, he posts videos of Hasbulla which made him get the nickname of “Mini Khabib.”
  

  Khabib with CZN Burak

  

  Khabib and Hasbulla

• Khabib has an Alabai dog. He also has many sheep on his farm.
  

  This dog from mother’s side grandfather, and from father’s side grandfather, they both world champions. Can you imagine? I know it’s American people crazy, you know. They like dog fight. Honestly, I don’t like this (dog fight).”

  In 2013, Khabib used to have a cat.

  

  Khabib’s cat

• Khabib knows and speaks six languages, Avar (native), Russian, Kumyk, Turkish, English, and Arabic (can also read).

• After completing his MMA career, Khabib has been focusing on his studies and as of 2023, he is pursuing a degree in economics from Plekhanov Russian University of Economics.

• Before his scheduled match against Tony Ferguson at UFC 209, Khabib almost died from an extreme weight cut. Earlier, he had challenges making the 155-pound mark in MMA, often appearing drained and weakened during weigh-ins. His weight-cutting issues reached a critical point before UFC 209, forcing him into the hospital and impacting his health.
  

  Khabib after an extreme weight cut

• In 2020, Khabib announced his venture into the telecom sector through a social media post. He established a company named “Khabib Telekom” and later wanted to trademark the “Eagle Mobile” brand logo. Eagle Mobile offers SIM cards compatible with various devices, and customers are rewarded for their brand loyalty.
  

  Eagle Mobile

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