UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov's father is in hospital with suspected pneumonia, according to Russian reports.
It was first reported that the 57-year-old Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov told Russian sports odds media outlet Bookmaker-ratings, “I have been hospitalised, my apologies”, presumably in response to media requests.
The news was later substantiated by renowned Dagestani sports commentator, Ramazan Rabadanov, who knows Abdulmanap personally.
“Abdulmanap Magomedovich [Nurmagomedov] got sick. He almost finished improving the park – took out the trash, planted an alley of new trees, put beautiful benches by the paths, but yesterday he did not come to the park. I hope pneumonia is not going to affect my friend too much and he comes again to the park,” Rabadanov wrote in an Instagram post alongside a photo of the pair. The park is in reference to Abdulmanap’s philanthropic work in the area.
Rabadanov then told other local outlets: “Abdulmanap is in [number] two city hospital in Makhachkala. He got sick in the mountains. For two days he stayed active (after getting sick), his brothers were barely able to convince him to admit himself to hospital. So far [a case of] coronavirus has not been confirmed. People are saying it is the flu. Nobody is allowed to visit him. World champion Shamil Zavurov is also sick. People are saying there are other athletes who are also sick.”
He added a few hours later that doctors suspected Abdulmanap had contracted pneumonia but as of yet drew no connection with the ongoing Covid-19. Other reports confirm that Abdulmanap was tested for the coronavirus and would hear back the following day. It is confirmed that Abdulmanap had heart surgery in 2019.
Abdulmanap and son Khabib are from a remote mountain village called Sildi in Tsumadinskiy Region (meaning “the Land of the Eagles”) of Dagestan, several hours drive from Makhachkala.
Zavurov – the fighter mentioned in Rabadanov's interview – is a fellow Russian pro MMA fighter. He is of Avar descent, which is an ethnic group in Dagestan. He has been reported in several Russian sources as being one of Khabib’s biological cousins. It has not been confirmed whether any Dagestani fighters had congregated during the time Abdulmanap felt sick.
Russia’s first UFC champion, Oleg Taktarov, who recently was involved in heated online spats with different Dagestani fighters, including Khabib, wished Abdulmanap a speedy recovery.
“If I had his number I would call him. I am sincerely worried and hope everything works out well. I hope he recovers quickly and I am sending him a part of my own health. The main thing is not to get stressed. All illnesses come from stress. Someone must have been stressing him out, most likely. I never get stressed and I am fine. As soon as I do, I get a sore throat,” he said on Instagram.
Khabib – who last month pulled out of his UFC 249 headliner with Tony Ferguson after Covid-19-caused travel restrictions – touched on the lack of caution against the ongoing global pandemic. The lightweight champion specifically singled out his area of Dagestan.
“In any case, it is what it is. The Almighty knows best. Listen to the doctors, these are very difficult times. Having been here in Dagestan for almost 10 days now, I see that here in Dagestan there is some underestimation of this disease. I think this is very serious. You must be vigilant, follow all the safety measures, protect yourselves, your children and your parents. And ask the Almighty for forgiveness.
“I am 100 per cent convinced this is God’s punishment, not even a test. These are my convictions, I don’t know how you see it. We must return to the Almighty, ask for forgiveness, because I, you, all of us have our … let’s say, failings. We all have them. So, take care of yourselves. May the God’s mercy be upon you, may he bestow health upon us, our parents, children and all those we hold dear.”
Additional reporting by Pavel Toropov
