Mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov and and his father Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov give a press conference in Moscow on November 26, 2018. (Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP)
MANILA, Philippines — Khabib Nurmagomedov, the undefeated UFC lightweight champion, said Tuesday his father Abdulmanap is in critical condition due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
In a post on his Instagram, Nurmagomedov confirmed that his father also had to undergo heart surgery after suffering complications from COVID-19 and a previous ailment.
“In my personal case, I’ve had more than 20 people sick from my family,” Nurmagomedov said in Russian as translated by ESPN. “More than 20 people were lying in the ICUs. And many of them are no longer among us. Many acquaintances have died, many parents of my relatives. Everybody is having a hard time dealing with it.”
“There is a lot written on the internet about my father. My father, right now, is located in a hospital. He is in critical condition as a result of this virus. It impacted his heart because last year he had a surgery there, and right now, they did another surgery. He is in a very difficult situation, very difficult. We are asking Allah that he returns him to us.”
Nurmagomedov, who boasts a 28-0 record, was supposed to defend his title against Tony Ferguson in the main event of UFC 249 a month ago before travel restrictions reportedly forced the hard-hitting Russian to pull out from the fight.
Of all of Nurmagomedov’s victories, one of the most notable is his fourth-round stoppage of Conor McGregor in October 2018.