UFC 251: Muslim Salikhov honours Abdulmanap ‘father’ of Russian MMA, as Dana White vows to ‘leave Khabib alone’
- Salikhov says ‘it’s been tough for everybody … we are all very sad’ after death of UFC lightweight champion Nurmagomedov’s father and trainer
- ‘King of Kung Fu’ flies flag for Dagestan at UFC 251 in Abu Dhabi this weekend against Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos
Muslim Salikhov is flying the flag for the Republic of Dagestan at UFC 251 in Abu Dhabi this weekend and on the eve of the event he paid tribute to Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, father of UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, and a driving force behind the rise of MMA in Russia.
“He was like the father of MMA here,” Salikhov said of Abdulmanap. “It’s been tough for everybody in Dagestan because this man was a big name, everybody respects and loves him because he was one of the first men to bring MMA to Russia, to Dagestan. We are all very sad for that.”
The coach and mentor died in Moscow on July 3, aged 57, “due to complications stemming from Covid-19 infection”, according to a statement from Khabib Nurmagomedov’s management.
“People have been sending Khabib messages or trying to call because the situation for travel in Dagestan now is still not very good,” said Salikhov.
Two Dagestani fighters – bantamweight Umar Nurmagomedov (cousin of Khabib) and flyweight Tagir Ulanbekov – withdrew from Fight Island cards on the eve of UFC 251, the first of four events shifted to the facilities on Yas Island off the United Arab Emirates capital.
