Khabib Nurmagomedov has become one of the most successful and highest-paid fighters competing for Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) today. And “The Eagle” is putting his funds to good use, especially when it comes to giving back to this homeland in Dagestan.
Recently, Khabib and his father unveiled their new state-of-the-art facility in Makhachkala, Degestan named “Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov Martial Arts School” after Khabib’s dad. It’s a project aimed at helping the youth of Dagestan workout, exercise and train all aspects of mixed martial arts (MMA).
“These guys worked really hard, the whole team. We got a group of professionals. We have a weight room, an Octagon, punching bags and tatami mats. Up to 100 people can train here,” said Abdulmana, who also stated that opening up a gym would enrich his country and help the youth more than opening up another restaurant just for the sake of making bank.
“We could have opened up a cafe, a restaurant to make money. But the development of my republic and country is more important.”
For Khabib, helping kids develop their skills in order to perhaps one day help them reach their pro fighting is what it’s all about.
“I was very excited about this. Today, we opened this gym. This is like dreams come true, and here you can train muay thai, jiu-jitsu, grappling, combat sambo, MMA, everything you want. Like you guys see a lot of kids here, and I think it’s going to be full all day,” he told RT Sport at the unveiling.
“This gym is going to be full, a lot of kids going to be training here. You know, this is why I opened this gym. I want a lot of young generation guys training here and become professional fighters.”
As for “The Eagle,” who is already sitting at the top of the MMA world, he will next defend his Lightweight title against Tony Ferguson at the upcoming UFC 249 pay-per-view (PPV) event on April 18, 2020 in Brooklyn, New York.
In the meantime, Khabib is getting his workouts in by engaging in a few pickup games inside his new gym: