Esther Lin/MMA Fighting
Khabib Nurmagomedov’s father and trainer, Abdulmanap, was placed in a medically-induced coma a few weeks ago in Moscow, Russia after falling ill with pneumonia. After the elder Nurmagomedov woke following surgery, reports surfaced that COVID-19 played a part in his health issues.
Now, Khabib himself is confirming the news, saying that the deadly virus was in fact the culprit behind his father’s latest heart problems; revealing that he is still currently in the hospital battling the disease. Furthermore, “The Eagle” also went on to say that several of his family members have fallen ill with COVID-19, with some of them losing their battle.
“More than 20 of my close relatives have suffered (from) COVID-19 and also had to stay in intensive care. Some of them are not with us anymore,” Khabib said on his Instagram (via MMA Junkie). “As for my father, there’s been so much support, and people kept asking about my father.
“My father is still at the hospital. He’s still going through this disease. He also had a heart complication due to COVID-19. Abdulmanap had surgery for his heart last year and also had the second one these days [sic], so he is still in bad condition. That’s all I can say.I want to thank all the people for your support, wishes and your prayers. I also wish all the best. Be safe and healthy. Thank you very much.”
While not important in the grand scheme of things, Nurmagomedov was unable to fly out of Russia to compete against Tony Ferguson at UFC 249 after Russia closed its borders as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
After several of Khabib’s critics took shots at him, blaming him for the fifth cancellation of the match up, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) president, Dana White, came out in his defense to say the promotion was partly to blame.
After Justin Gaethje knocked out Ferguson at the revamped UFC 249 event last week (see it again here), Nurmagomedov vowed to make his mixed martial arts (MMA) comeback sometime in July for a title unification match. That being said, it’s obvious that Khabib’s return will depend on his father’s current health condition.