It’s been nearly seven years since a hotel hallway brawl between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Artem Lobov almost escalated into a legal nightmare. In the lead-up to UFC 223, Khabib had approached Conor McGregor‘s teammate in a hotel in Brooklyn, New York, over some insults. The aftermath? ‘The Eagle’ ended up slapping the Irish-Russian.

Had Lobov called the police, Nurmagomedov could have been arrested right away, and the UFC 223 delayed. However, Lobov chose not to do that. Fast forward to 2025, the former champion returns to New York, but this time it’s not to settle scores in the hallway or inside the Octagon. Instead, it’s all about something deeper: religion, legacy, and purpose.

Nurmagomedov announced on Instagram, “I’m coming to New York City 🗽. But this time, the arena is different… This isn’t about victory in the cage. It’s about victory in life.” On August 2, he will be the headline speaker at a unique event held by the Miftaah Institute to encourage reflection and motivation.

This will not be another post-fight press conference or retirement tribute; rather, it will be a meeting focused on faith, discipline, and life beyond fighting. And who better to have for such events than a fighter who turned down millions of dollars at the height of his career to keep a promise to his mother? Whether you are a Muslim or not, Khabib Nurmagomedov’s story of restraint, loyalty, and self-discipline resonates.

His quiet retirement has evolved into something louder: spiritual leadership. It’s especially striking given how close things were to spiraling out of control years ago. After submitting Conor McGregor at UFC 229 in 2018, ‘The Eagle’ jumped from the cage to face Dillon Danis, sparking an epic post-fight brawl.

While three of his teammates were arrested in Las Vegas, Khabib narrowly escaped charges himself. The Nevada State Athletic Commission suspended him and withheld his pay, as the MMA world waited with bated breath. He later apologized for the incident, but he never changed who he was. He just grew from it. But do you know that there was another member of Nurmagomedov’s team who almost joined that massive brawl?

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s manager reveals he almost joined Team Dagestan’s epic all-out fight

It turns out that the chaos at UFC 229 could have been even wilder. While the world recalls Khabib Nurmagomedov leaping over the cage and his teammates swarming McGregor, someone else was ready to step in. Someone who’s not even a fighter. The Dagestani fighter’s longtime manager, Ali Abdelaziz, said that he walked into that night ready to throw hands, at least until Dana White intervened at the last second.

On Henry Cejudo and Kamaru Usman‘s podcast, Abdelaziz described how the build-up to UFC 229 felt different. “Every title fight, I wear a suit,” he said. “But for this fight, I wore a white tee, pants, and sneakers. I knew something was going on.” As tensions rose and ‘The Eagle’ sparked the iconic post-fight brawl, Abdelaziz made a break for it. “I ran, and Dana grabbed me.”

The head honcho, understanding what was at stake, issued a stern warning: “If you do anything, they will suspend you and every fighter. Help me calm this thing down.” Despite the intervention, the manager’s emotions still ran high. “I just really wanted to get to one guy,” Abdelaziz confessed. “And I ended up getting to him a little bit later.” He didn’t specify who the target was, but it’s not hard to guess. The UFC 229 incident became the most chaotic night in UFC history, and we now know it almost had one more name at its core.