Khabib Nurmagomedov is hailed as one of the greatest mixed martial artists in history. He boasts an impeccable professional combat sports record of 29 wins and 0 losses. His dominance within the Octagon remains unparalleled, securing his place as an icon in the realm of combat sports.
Despite his success, it’s interesting to note that Khabib initially missed out on securing a Performance of the Night bonus. In one of his early UFC interviews, Khabib disclosed his conversation with Dana White in the middle of the match.
Khabib said: “After second round I tell him hey what do you think of the performance because I fight nine times in UFC and I don’t have performance. I want to take some performance like fifty thousand is not bad money. I remember when I take him down like Mike Tyson is very close and I say “what’s up” and he goes like this. And I say hey what’s up Mike.”
In UFC 219’s co-main event, Edson Barboza lost to Khabib Nurmagomedov. He ended up winning the match via unanimous decision.
Using ground and pound, Khabib took Barboza down and controlled all three rounds. He also received his first Performance of the Night bonus for this victory.
Khabib Nurmagomedov has won three awards for Best Performance of the Night. He got them by defeating Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier, and Edson Barboza.
Nurmagomedov received a $50,000 prize for winning Performance of the Night in his last bout, which took place at UFC 254. Right after the bout, Khabib announced his retirement from combat sports.
The childhood of Khabib Nurmagomedov in Dagestan was by no means luxurious. Nurmagomedov was raised in the hamlet of Sildi among fifteen brothers and relatives. His father Abdulmanap was a wrestler and coach who trained Dagestan’s youngsters as an alternative to extremist Islam.
Nurmagomedov first became interested in martial arts after seeing other gym students practicing. He received instruction in combat sambo, freestyle wrestling, and judo. Additionally, an old video shows Nurmagomedov as a young boy wrestling a bear.