UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has been named the Sports Personality of the Year for 2020 by the BBC.
The organization announced Nurmagomedov as the recipient of the award on Thursday.
See what the BBC had to say about Nurmagomedov below:
The Russian, 32, extended his perfect professional record to 29 wins with an emotional victory over interim champion Justin Gaethje in October.
The UFC lightweight champion fought just months after the death of his father, coach and mentor Abdulmanap.
Considered by some to be the greatest mixed martial arts fighter of all time, he retired straight after his victory.
Nurmagomedov’s 29-0 record in MMA included 13 straight victories under the UFC banner.
He successfully defended his lightweight title on three occasions, and was seen as one of the most dominant athletes in MMA history.
Topping an online public vote, Nurmagomedov beat off competition from Swedish pole vaulter Armand Duplantis, American basketball great LeBron James, American golfer Dustin Johnson, French footballer Wendie Renard, and Irish boxer Katie Taylor.
Last year’s winner was marathon runner Eliud Kipchoge, who won the London Marathon for a fourth time and became the first person to run a marathon in under two hours in October 2019.
Unsurprisingly, Khabib Nurmagomedov is honored to have won this award. The undefeated lightweight issued a statement on Instagram, thanking the BBC and his fans for the recognition.
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“This award means a lot for me,” Nurmagomedov wrote in a post on his official Instagram account. “Recognition is the one of the biggest motivation in the life, as in the sport.”
While Nurmagomedov announced his retirement from MMA earlier this year, many members of the combat sports community, including UFC President Dana White, believe he’ll end up fighting again.
What do you think the future holds for Khabib Nurmagomedov?