Khabib Nurmagomedov is one of the most respected MMA athletes in the world. With an undefeated record, He wreaked havoc in the UFC’s lightweight division. After retirement, Nurmagomedov followed in his father’s footsteps and became one of the best coaches in MMA. However, a recent horrific incident in Dagestan has blemished his respected standing.
McGregor Blasts Khabib Over Dagestan Terrorist Links
On June 23, terrorists attacked churches and synagogues in Derbent and Makhachkala, two cities in Dagestan. 16 police officers, 5 civilians, and 5 perpetrators died in the horrific incident. Of the 5 perpetrators, Gadzhimurad Kagirov was an MMA fighter who studied under Abdulmanap, the father of Khabib Nurmagomedov.
After the attack sent shockwaves around the world, Conor McGregor, a bitter rival of Nurmagomedov, used Kagirov’s name to blemish the retired undefeated Russian. The Irishman used the term ‘rat’ to refer to Kagirov. McGregor used the term to belittle Team Khabib when he signed up to fight the Russian at UFC 299.
Moreover, Russian authorities raided Nurmagomedov’s gym in Makhachkala due to his connection with Kagirov. However, the former lightweight UFC champion stated that he had little to no relationship with the dead terrorist, except for the couple of times he trained under his father. Nurmagomedov had lamented the attack as inhuman.
Furthermore, Ali Abdelaziz, Nurmagomedov’s manager, had worked as a spy for the NYPD and the FBI. Interestingly, it is from this knowledge that McGregor began to use the term ‘rat’ since it is an acronym for a spy. After McGregor’s prejudiced tweets against his former foe, Abdelaziz also responded in kind.
