Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, the father of undefeated UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, has died COVID-19 complications. He was 57 years old.
News of Nurmagomedov’s death was first reported by Russian news outlet RT, which cites an announcement from Chechen Republic leader and friend of the Nurmagomedov family Ramzan Kadyrov.
BREAKING: Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, father of UFC champ Khabib Nurmagomedov, dies from Covid-19 complications aged 57 – reports https://t.co/qllLx0r2sV
— sameera khan (@SameeraKhan) July 3, 2020
In April, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov fell ill in his native Dagestan. He was treated locally for pneumonia-like symptoms, but reportedly refused to be tested for COVID-19. He was ultimately flown to a military hospital in Moscow, where he tested positive for the virus. From there, he reportedly suffered a heart attack. He then underwent an emergency bypass surgery and was placed in a medically induced coma on two occasions. There were recently reports that the Nurmagomedov patriarch was making gradual improvements.
Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov has coached his son Khabib for many years, first introducing the future UFC champ to the Russian combat sport of sambo when he was just a child. While Khabib ultimately took a significant portion of his training camps to American Kickboxing Academy in California, his father maintained a huge influence over his training and life, and the pair’s relationship was evidently incredibly strong.
Khabib has not fought since September, when he defended the UFC lightweight title with a win over Dustin Poirier. He is currently linked to a lightweight title defense against interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje, with whom he shares a manager. Several reports have suggested the bout could occur at UFC 253 in September, however, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov’s passing could understandably change that plan.
At present, Khabib Nurmagomedov has not commented publicly on his father’s passing.
The team at BJPENN.com sends heartfelt condolences to the Nurmagomedov family during this difficult time.