Khabib Nurmagomedov is the undefeated lightweight champion of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Now the Dagestan native is set to fight Conor McGregor at UFC 229 for one of the year’s largest events.
Speaking to Yahoo Sports, “The Eagle” has decided to offer some insight into his journey to becoming the UFC title holder he is today.
“For almost 12 years, nobody from Russia was fighting in the UFC and everybody thought it was impossible. A couple of years ago, I became 16-0 and the UFC signed. People had thought it was impossible. And when they signed me, a lot of people were going to watch. [Other fighters said], ‘If you win, a lot of us can come, too. If you lose, OK, the UFC is a different level.’”
“I’m very proud of it. If you can change someone’s life, why not?”
“When I came to California, I was living alone. I’d go to a restaurant and I would say, ‘No meat. No chicken. Fish and something vegetable. No bread, too, because I’m on a diet.’ I was nervous about it, because if she talked with me back, I wouldn’t understand her. I would take Google Translate and say, ‘My English is zero.’ I would say, I want this, this and this, without this. I had to learn, learn and learn, because I know how important English is.”
