Esther Lin/MMA Fighting
Khabib Nurmagomedov’s father and trainer, Abdulmanap, was placed in a medically-induced coma last month in Moscow, Russia, after falling ill with pneumonia. After the elder Nurmagomedov came out of the coma following surgery, “The Eagle” revealed that COVID-19 played a big part in his health issues.
A day later, reports stated that Abdulmanap’s condition had worsened and had been put on life support. Now, good news is trickling in as Ali Abdelaziz, Khabib’s manager, says while the Abdulmanap is still in serious condition, he is showing signs of improvement.
“Khabib is very strong, his family is very strong and his father is very strong,” Abdelaziz told ESPN. “He’s improving. He opened his eyes, responding a little bit — good sign. Allah is in control. We have faith he will be better, but at the end of the day, it’s completely up to his health whether it progresses or not. But he’s progressing, and we’re very happy about this.”
Per Ali, Abdulmanap was able to briefly say a few words to Khabib. The tight bond the two share is well-documented, as Abdulmanap has been training his son since he was a little boy.
As far as Khabib goes, he is in line to take part in a Lightweight title unification bout against Justin Gaethje later this year. And while there is a target month of September, nothing is official at this time, as the promotion obviously won’t book “The Eagle” to fight while his father is battling for his life.
Still, Abdelaziz says Khabib is still training and is more motivated than ever.
“I think Khabib’s father being sick has motivated him more,” Abdelaziz said. “He’s training every day, two times a day. He’s in camp already. Me and him were talking and I said, ‘Hey, get your mind off, do what you need to do.’ He’s always training.
“He’s a true mixed martial artist. Same with Gaethje. They are both great guys and they want to fight. It’s a dream fight.”
Aside from battling pneumonia, COVID-19 and having heart surgery, Abdulmanap also suffered a stroke before falling into a second coma.