Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s upcoming fight against Justin Gaethje will certainly be an emotional affair.
Nurmagomedov meets Gaethje in a lightweight title unification fight at UFC 254 next weekend in what will be his first fight since the tragic death of his father Abdulmanap.
And in a tribute to the late Nurmagomedov, BT Sport released an emotional animated promo dedicated to the duo.
You can watch it below:
Khabib and his father were naturally close, but they were closer than most given Abdulmanap was also his best friend and coach.
“I’m sure everyone in this room lost someone,” Nurmagomedov told media back in August. “A friend, a neighbor, a cousin, a mother, a father, girlfriend. Everyone goes through loss, I understand that. But on the other hand it’s very difficult. Some people have strictly a father-son relationship, but my father was very close to me. We were like friends. He was my father and coach, we were always together. We were very close. Of course I’m sad.
“… If I tell you with a straight face that it doesn’t affect my training, that’d be a lie. It does affect me, I think about him all the time. Maybe this pain will put me on another level and make me stronger. Any challenge either breaks you or makes you stronger. We’ll see what it does to me in time.”
We’ll get to see how Nurmagomedov responds in the Octagon in less than a week.
What did you think of the promo?