Speaking on the occasion, Nurmagomedov said it’s a great honor for him to be inducted in the UFC Hall of Fame. “I feel like I did a lot of things for this sport and I’m very happy for this”, he said.
Remembering his father, who was also his coach, he said “Our father invested everything he had, in us; he gave us good education, he provided us opportunities to go to good schools and universities. He used to invest in people”. He said following in the footsteps of his father, he is also investing in people close to him instead of pursuing material goals such as buying a good house.
It has been about two years since Khabib lost his father, but he still doesn’t seem to have overcome the great loss. Bearing with the loss he had announced retirement from the UFC with a perfect record of 29-0.
The one thing, he said, that he is proud of is that ‘I never give up’.
What a emotional day was today in Vegas.#Alhamdulillah @ T-Mobile Arena https://t.co/pk0jcXTQUk
— khabib nurmagomedov (@TeamKhabib) July 1, 2022
He thanked his team members for supporting him through thick and thin and acknowledged their key role in his success.
He said that when he was asked to name one person who deserves to be inducted in the UFC Hall of Fame, he named his coach Javier Mendez. Justifying his choice, he said that the gym of Javier Mendez has rolled out some of the top champions of the UFC. He went on to thank his coach Mendez for his trust and his support throughout the years, “You are not my father, but you became like a father to me because you always supported me and believed in me”.
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