Russia’s Sports Express recently interviewed UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov’s uncle Alex Nurmagomedov, who lives in Poltava, Ukraine. It is long and interesting, even via Google Translate. This is stuff Khabib’s uncle heard, as related in Russian, via Google Translate. The 15 million appears to be a reference to dollars (in Rubles 15 million would be a too paltry $250,000) but the number doesn’t feel right. So take it as a fun interview with Khabib’s uncle, but not a certain truth about facts and figures.

Is it true that Khabib was a difficult child?

Difficult – this is an understatement. But even then his misdemeanors were manly. His father punished him to obey. At the same time he had a discipline in training. He lived by them. He constantly said: “UFC, UFC” … He wanted to fight in this organization, was fanatically set to it. His idol was Fedor Emelianenko. He loved his fights, watched him.

He arranged fights on the streets – a team for a team. When he lost, he took brother Magomed to fight – he played in MMA, was the third prize winner of the Russian championship in combat sambo. Khabib came up and said: “Mago, now we are going to fight.” He was the youngest, but still managed Magomed, he advised: “Mago, you do not talk there. You immediately hit.” Since childhood, he loved to fight. He took his elder brother, cousin, and others. Fought club on the club, the street into the street. He was constantly punished for it. He promised that there would be no more, but then he continued to do as before.”

Could you then imagine that he would achieve such success?

Honestly, no. That he will be a bright fighter – I did not doubt that. I was surprised that in training he was one person, and in competitions he was completely different. This was later manifested in his battles. But that he would win 27 fights was impossible to imagine even in a dream.

Does Khabib now often come to Poltava?

Often. Next week we are waiting for his arrival. I’m still the brother of his father and was one of his sponsors. For example, in 2008, for the first time in Poltava, we organized the Champions League tournament among professionals [where Khabib made his pro debut href=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiNyE9ivLk4″ target=”_blank”].

We then held this tournament, and now we hear the names of its participants on TV. The same Shamil Zavurov fought there, Khabib, Rustam Habilov, Alexey Oleinik, Islam Makhachev.

It was in a restaurant named “Poltava”. We planned to hold there every year the Champions League among professionals. In 2008, we organized a tournament, and the following year we were not given the go-ahead for it. They said they were afraid. There was a case where Khamiz Mamedov sent one guy into a deep knockout, he did not come to his senses for a long time. This ended in a hospital, and the restaurant owners were frightened. We collected four of the strongest fighters of the CIS. Planned to make this tournament traditional.

Does Khabib have problems with entry to Ukraine?

Yes. He always has some problems. I send him an invitation. Now for the Russians to call on Ukraine has become problematic.

About your brother (Nurmagomed Nurmagomedov, world sambo champion in the national team of Ukraine, also living in Poltava) we know quite a lot unlike you. Did you practice martial arts too?

Yes, I fought in Poltava. We came here in 1983. There is such a coach – Peter Ivanovich Butry, he invited us here. We are very grateful to him. While we were performing and studying, he literally replaced our father. We were freestylers, masters of sports in the USSR, but we had no idea about judo. For the first time he was the one who invited us to the judo gym. Since 1983, we have been together and, one might say, have not parted.

Butriy invited us and said: “I will help you.” The first year was hard, and then we started to fight at the championships of Ukraine – in Kharkov, in Kremenchug. In Kremenchug, the father of Khabib (Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov) became the champion of Ukraine. And Nurik Nurmagomedov, my younger brother, won the Ukrainian championship, European Championship, was the third prize winner of the USSR judo championship. Then he became the champion of Europe in sambo, world champion. Khabib’s father, Nurik and I graduated from a cooperative institute in Poltava.

What business do you have?

In the field of construction.

I am a merchandiser, Nurik is a procurer, and Abdulmanap is an economist. Peter Ivanovich was constantly with us as a coach. According to the same methodology, Abdulmanap is now coaching Khabib. When it was hard for him, he brought his son here. Four years continuously and six years in total, Khabib trained in Poltava. Once I was planning to get the citizenship of Ukraine (for Khabib), but we could not. It was very hard for us. Therefore, he went to Russia, and already through Russia he signed a contract and went to the UFC. By that time, he had already performed in Ukraine for two years.

In such a family as you had there’s no chance not to take up fighting?

Did not have. We can say that there are no other sports in Dagestan, except for wrestling.

What about soccer?

Then it was not prestigious. In our time, nobody spoke about soccer. We lived in the village, and there was only wrestling. We performed on a straw carpet, then from there we left to fight in the city. And then, when we were already noticed – went to the district competitions, and nationals.

What were your plans for Khabib after the fight with McGregor? Have they changed now?

We planned to have a fight with Tony Ferguson. They expected to hold this fight in April-May. And after this battle, they planned to end Khabib’s sports career. But after the fight with Conor, our fighter Zubair Tukhugov was unjustly punished, who was supposed to fight October 27 [vs . Artem Lobov]. After all, it was McGregor who started this conflict, and we just finished it. I believe that there should be no conflict. Khabib had to pull himself together. I in no way justify him for jumping over the fence after the fight. Khabib reacted calmly to a possible fine of $250,000 – yet the purse for the fight was much higher. But when Zubair was pulled, he said that he would refuse the purse and leave the UFC. We do not exclude that this can happen in reality. But if they keep Tukhugov, then in April-May we will fight Ferguson. We would be interested in this fight. Ferguson is a good fighter.

Who is stronger: Ferguson or Mcgregor?

If Ferguson fights McGregor, Conor will beat him. Ferguson is convenient for him. McGregor is a strong fighter, but for Khabib he was not a rival. There is no difference – Ferguson, Conor. He knows how to adapt to any opponent.

Do you also consider the penalty unfair?

The fine was fair. It is unfair that they fired Zubair. Punish him, temporarily remove him, but dismiss him — no. For the UFC, this will be a loss, although perhaps not as big.

How does Khabib’s team see this situation?

Khabib’s team is waiting for an official verdict. Until then – we can not say anything. Previously, Khabib refused the purse and said that he was not interested in money.

Who is to blame for this situation: Conor or Khabib?

I believe both. We can not say that Conor is the only one to blame. This is stupid and not serious. Yes, there were moments when Conor touched on faith, parents. My opinion – it is impossible to touch, given our mentality, our views on life. But even so, after the end of the battle, Khabib had to shake his opponent’s hand. I myself told him that he had to go up to Conor, hug him, thank Irish fans, regardless of who was for him and who was against. This is my opinion as his uncle. Sport should unite.

It was necessary to say to Conor: “We have forgotten everything that happened until this minute. From this minute we are friends. You are a great country Ireland, we are a great country Russia. Let’s live together.” And what he will do later is already on his conscience. What example do we set for those who look at us? Do not punish Khabib – others will repeat the same. Therefore, the fine is right, but the dismissal of Tuhugov is not. I believe that the UFC began to infringe the interests of the fighters from Russia. They see that every day they are progressing, getting better and winning more and more.

Can you recall a similar case from your sports career?

There was one, I honestly admit. We had a tournament, and Abdulmanup and I were in the same weight – 68 kg [150 pounds]. And I competed there with a good wrestler. I still remember his name – Said Saytulaev. He was already through the army – an adult man. And I was a young, good wrestler. I lost the fight to him. One point difference. … Maybe not enough experience. And at the end of the fight, I did not give him a handshake. I began to get angry. This I still remember. I think why I did this. This is unsportsmanlike behavior. And I was long reproached for this incident. For me, this was a lesson. I constantly remember this case and say: get on with it – show respect for your opponent.

Have you communicated with Khabib in this regard?

He called me. I said: “Habib, I cannot justify your behavior. You did not have the right to jump into the arena. Be higher, smarter than Conor. By this you would show that you are a true leader and a fighter. And I was ashamed of your unsportsmanlike behavior.” And his father scolded him, and [uncle] Nurik.

In your case, the defeat was an insult?

Yes. I could not accept that I lost. I was a leader there, always won, and here it is. I cried.

But your rival did not insult you. And Conor had. Maybe Khabib reaction is worth some understanding?

Conor first began to insult. Including Ramzan Kadyrov. I will say this: whoever says anything, the people of Kadyrov love him! Khabib’s father is friends with Kadyrov, they visit each other. Chechens are our relatives. We are one people. Conor insulted Khabib’s father, and he’s his father, besides sports, knows nothing about carpet and at home. Khabib was hurt. Then he insulted religion, and so can not be done. Now, of the seven billion people on the planet, a billion are Muslims. But still, it does not give Khabib the right to lose control after the fight.

What do you personally think of trash talk? 

In the UFC it is popular and highly developed. For Americans, for Conor – this is the norm. We still have a different mentality. We will not understand them, they are different. Conor says this is a business to him. They tell us that we do not catch up. For them, it is both sport and business, but for us it is only sport. This is the trouble of our athletes.

Do you think Conor stops doing it?

I would not say. This is his life. Of course, he has some kind of show-off, money dictates his worth. All this they consider the norm. I could not explain this to my nephew. Conor advertises himself. And Khabib should not be led to this. He behaved very worthy until the end of the fight. He said that he would not do anything, even if the Irishman began to spit.

Did you expect the fight itself to play out as it did?

I knew it would be like that. He knew that if Khabib had a chance to end the fight earlier, he would not do that. He told me that he would break Conor or make him give up, no matter what. He said he would not end the fight in the first or second round. I told him that he should not pay attention to people and end the fight earlier if there was a chance. And Khabib answered: “No, I will fight, and I will finish in the fourth round.” For him it was important. He was very angry with Conor.

In general, I believe that what happened is the fault of security. Where were they looking? Yes, he did not control himself, but why did you let him go? You saw what was happening. Skirmishes, swearing did not end. I think there is fault by Dana White. If he did not want a fight, he had to put handcuffs on the fighters and take them out of the hall, and then send them by two planes to different states. One hundred percent the event needed more security. But Khabib is also to blame. In general, this is not his behavior. He always behaves modestly, always scolding others for unsporting behavior. For example, the children of Nurik. They here, in Poltava, also do judo. We bet on them. Let’s see how their career develops. They are 19 years old.

Many said that Conor is stronger in striking.

You saw that Khabib was stronger. He dropped McGregor, put him on his ass. The fact is obvious: Khabib and in his hands also beat him. Khabib fights when necessary, and “puts out.” He took a little of everything. His father sent him to wrestling and judo. And in Poltava, Khabib was trained for boxing in the first place. He was told not to fight standing with Conor, but he answered that he would fight standing and show that he was stronger. And he did it. Showed his diversity.

How do you assess the likelihood that the battle with Ferguson will take place?

We planned it, but it can pass only if Khabib remains in the UFC. Many organizations with large prize funds offered him to sign a contract: Bellator, Akhmat, Fight Night. If Khabib remains in the UFC, then in April or May there will be a battle with Ferguson.

Rapper 50 Cent said he was willing to pay Khabib two million dollars if he transferred to Bellator.

For two million, Khabib will not fight. Now he is ready to go into battle for no less than five million. In Bellator, we were told to name our amount, and they are ready to sign a contract. If Khabib leaves UFC, another eight people can leave with him. I can not list them all, but they are powerful, good fighters. I will not yet call their names. The UFC asked Khabib not to hurry, because they have not yet made a final decision.

Is it possible to rematch with Conor?

No.

Why?

He is not interested in Khabib. He will not fight him for any money. Yes, I know that they are offering him a rematch. From the start, they offered him 15 million, if he agrees. But Khabib said no. Let Conor stand in line, let him fight with others. But Khabib wants to fight Ferguson, and then finish his career.