Ibragim Ibragimov is another undefeated prospect who is paying major credit to Khabib Nurmagomedov for his current career success.
Ibragimov (8-0) is an undefeated featherweight who looks to add another winning result to his record on Saturday when he takes on Kenny Mokhonoana (5-1) at PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai, which takes place at Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai and streams on MAX.
Training out of Dagestan under Nurmagomedov alongside the likes of UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev and a plethora of other standouts, Ibragimov said the coaching provided by the UFC Hall of Famer has been nothing short of significant to his personal and fighting growth.
“Khabib Nurmagomedov is like a big brother in the gym,” Ibragimov told MMA Junkie Radio. “A massive thank you to him. You hear it from everybody, he’s just a big example for us. We’re all looking up to him when training, like he’s helping us and doing everything for our generation. Do you ever seen anybody saying bad stuff about Khabib? Never. He’s a good example for all of the sportsmen around the world. As a good Muslim, he’s representing our religion, he’s representing MMA, he’s representing everything. He’s a good person. Humble.”
Ibragimov said he first met Nurmagomedov around the time of when the undefeated 155-pound champion retired from MMA competition in 2021 following the death of his father, Abdulmanap. He received the invite to come to Dagestan, and has maintained his training camps with the team ever since.
“The first time I met was when he came to U.K.,” Ibragimov said. “There was like an event where he came and he had retired around that time, like four years ago or something. I came and I met him and we took a picture, but then a year after I came for a training camp, then again I came for a training camp. We gained a good relationship, but now he knows me well now.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai.
Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.
