Undefeated former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame on July 2.
Nurmagomedov (29-0) was in attendance at UFC 272 in Las Vegas on Saturday when the UFC announced he’d join the 2022 Hall of Fame Class. The 33-year-old from Dagestan, a Russian republic, will be inducted into the Hall of Fame’s modern fighter wing.
“Khabib is one of the greatest athletes to ever compete in professional sports,” UFC president Dana White said. “No one dominated their opponents the way Khabib did, and to retire undefeated, as lightweight champion and the No. 1 pound-for-pound athlete in the world is an incredible accomplishment. It will be an honor to induct him into the UFC Hall of Fame this summer.”
Nurmagomedov won the lightweight title in 2018 and held it until he officially announced his retirement in October 2020 in one of the more memorable scenes in mixed martial arts history.
Nurmagomedov retired in tears and laid his gloves on the mat following his UFC 254 victory against Justin Gaethje. The win occurred four months after he lost his father and longtime coach, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, to complications from COVID-19.
–Field Level Media