Khabib’s gym raided after terror attack: here’s what you need to know
UFC star Khabib Nurmagomedov’s gym in his native Dagestan was raided after it was discovered that one of the gunmen involved in a recent terror attack trained there. Here is why this matters:
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On Friday, June 28, Russian security forces stormed a mixed martial arts (MMA) gym belonging to UFC star Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Footage published on Russian media outlets showed armed law enforcement officers surrounding the gym, which is named after Nurmsgomedov’s late father and revered coach Abdulmanap.
The raid took place days after Sports Politika reported that one of the gunmen involved in a recent terror attack on Christian and Jewish houses of worship in Dagestan previously trained at Nurmagomedov’s gym. At least 21 people, including 16 police officers and a priest, were killed in the attack.
Law enforcement officers reportedly identified several fighters connected with the extremist after questioning those in attendance over the course of two days.
"A check of the documentation is being conducted,” a law enforcement source told Interfax. “It is connected with the terrorist attacks that took place in Makhachkala and Derbent. One of the liquidated fighters had previously trained in this club.”
The aforementioned gunman, whose name is Gadzhimurad Kagirov, was a master of sport (honorary title for successful athletes in Russia) in freestyle wrestling who transitioned to professional MMA thereafter. The 28-year-old accumulated a 2-0 pro record while representing Khabib’s Eagle MMA fight club, a training facility founded by jailed Dagestani oligarch Ziyavudin Magomedov. The club was later renamed after Abdulmanap following his passing due to coronavirus complications.
Shortly following the attack, Nurmagomedov denied any affiliation with the extremist, arguing that he was never a full-time student at the gym.
"It is wrong to call him a pupil of Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov's school,” Nurmagomedov told reporters. “This is not true. In 2021, he came to the gym with his older brother, sparred for a month or so. That's it. He was never seen in the gym again.”
Sports Politika can confirm that other MMA gyms in Dagestan are facing similar raids in the wake of the recent terror attack. Meanwhile, politicians and leading figures, including members from Russia’s Presidential Council for Human Rights, have accused Dagestani MMA fighters and their "spiritual leaders" of spreading extremist ideologies.
It is also worth noting that this is not the first time that Nurmagomedov’s name has been associated with extremists. Following his victory against Conor McGregor in 2018, Khabib was pictured in Dubai alongside Sagid Murtazaliev, an Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling who was accused of financing terrorism and is a suspect in several murders. He fled Russia and is currently wanted by the government.
However, Nurmagomedov's issues with the Russian government don't stop there. The former champion is caught in a web of legal problems, including tax evasion, which make it unlikely he will return to Russia anytime soon.
Tax Evasion and a Secret Passport
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