Tag: Gadzhimurad Kagirov

Conor McGregor reacts to news of Khabib’s MMA gym being raided following terror attacks in Dagestan

Conor McGregor reacts to news of Khabib's MMA gym being raided following terror attacks in DagestanConor McGregor is feeling a bit of vindication following a series of horrific terrorist attacks in Dagestan, the hometown…

Conor McGregor reacts to news of Khabib's MMA gym being raided following terror attacks in Dagestan

Conor McGregor is feeling a bit of vindication following a series of horrific terrorist attacks in Dagestan, the hometown of his longtime rival Khabib Nurmagomedov.

At least 21 people were killed, including 16 police officers, and another 25 were injured after armed men attacked a synagogue, churches, and police post in the city of Derbent and Dagestan’s capital Makhachkala on Sunday, June 23. Per a report from CNN, attackers “set the building on fire using Molotov cocktails” at the synagogue in Derbent while police and security guards were killed outside during the attack.

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Sergey Melikov, head of the Dagestan Republic, said at least six “militants” were also killed following the attack, one of which has been identified as Gadzhimurad Kagirov, a former MMA fighter who was once affiliated with Khabib Nurmagomedov and the UFC Hall of Famer’s late father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.

Gadzhimurad Kagirov

In the wake of the shocking news, Conor McGregor, considered to be Nurmagomedov’s greatest foe inside the Octagon, has stayed busy, tweeting and deleting his thoughts on the situation accompanied with the hashtag #ConorWasRight.

Recently, the Irish megastar once again posted the hashtag in response to a video from Aussie Cossack of Nurmagomedov’s Eagle MMA gym being raided by Russian security forces in Makhachkala.

Conor McGregor

Conor McGregor first accused Khabib of having ties to terrorism in 2018

McGregor first suggested that Nurmagomedov had ties to terrorism in 2018, accusing the former lightweight champion’s manager, Dominance MMA’s Ali Abdelaziz, of being a “lying terrorist snitch” ahead of his record-setting fight with ‘The Eagle’ at UFC 229.

The Washington Post‘s Des Bieler later wrote that McGregor’s comments appeared to be referring to a 2013 book titled Enemies Within: Inside the NYPD’s Secret Spying Unit and bin Laden’s Final Plot Against America. In it, the authors claim that Abdelaziz worked with the New York Police Department and the FBI before they grew concerned he had become a double agent and tried to deport him.

Abdelaziz, of course, is one of the more well-known managers in mixed martial arts, featuring an all-star client list that consists of Nurmagomedov, Kamaru Usman, Justin Gaethje, Henry Cejudo, and Kayla Harrison.

UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov reacts to horrific terror attack in his hometown of Dagestan, Russia

UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov reacts to horrific terror attack in his hometown of Dagestan, RussiaFormer UFC lightweight world champion Khabib Nurmagomedov issued a statement following the horrific terrorist attack in his hometown of…

UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov reacts to horrific terror attack in his hometown of Dagestan, Russia

Former UFC lightweight world champion Khabib Nurmagomedov issued a statement following the horrific terrorist attack in his hometown of Dagestan, Russia.

According to a report from CNN, gunmen opened fire on multiple places of worship in what appears to have been a coordinated attack. At least 15 police officers and four civilians were killed, including one Orthodox priest. Sergey Melikov, head of the Dagestan Republic, said at least six “militants” were also killed following the attacks on churches, synagogues, and police posts.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Nurmagomedov took to Instagram following the attacks, sharing a black box to mourn the victims and writing:

“My condolences to all the relatives and friends of the victims. May Allah save us all from such institutions and grant us a peaceful sky over our heads. Take care of yourself and your loved ones and let everyone look around themselves and around their children with whom they interact with and who is around them. Educating souls is more important than educating bodies.”

One of the militants identified as an MMA fighter with ties to Khabib Nurmagomedov and his father

According to Sports Politika founder Karim Zidan, five of the gunmen were killed by Russian Special Forces, one of them identified as Gadzhimurad Kagirov, an MMA fighter who had ties to Nurmagomedov and his late father Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.

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Kagirov, 28, was a master of sport (an honorary title for successful athletes in Russia) in freestyle wrestling before transitioning to mixed martial arts under the tutelage of Abdulmanap. He competed in two fights in 2021 while representing Nurmagomedov’s Eagle MMA gym, a training facility founded by jailed Dagestani oligarch Ziyavudin Magomedov.

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Making his pro MMA debut in April 2021, Kagirov scored a first-round knockout against Basyr Ibragimov under the GC Entertainment banner. He followed that up with a unanimous decision victory over Dzhambulat Bagaev at the promotion’s follow-up event in November that same year.