UFC 311: Meet Khabib Nurmagomedov’s MMA super team
Nurmagomedov previously coached his cousin Umar Nurmagomedov in the co-main event, where the 29-year-old will face Georgia’s Merab Dvalishvi Leigh competes for the bantamweight championship.
Next week, when Umar’s brother Usman Nurmagomedov defends his Bellator lightweight belt, Nurmagomedov will be in another cousin’s corner. Irishman Paul Hughes in Dubai.
When asked what makes his family and team so successful in Dagestan, Nurmagomedov boiled it down to one word: sacrifice.
“People talk about discipline, but that’s not enough. It’s all about sacrifice,” Nurmagomedov told UFC in an interview this week., external
He went on to tell a story about a Mexican boxer he was coaching who wanted to go back to his country to see his family.
“I told him, if you want to be the best in the world, his family has to wait,” Nurmagomedov added.
“I have nothing against family members, I’m just saying if you want to be the best in this business, you have to make sacrifices.
“Sacrifice your time, your health, everything you have. When people try to give me excuses, I say: ‘This guy is just a regular fighter, like thousands of other guys. He’s going to make money, he’s Will be good, but he will never be a champion.
“When I look at Islam, Omar, Usman and myself, we sacrificed our lives to be the best in the world.”
