Khabib Nurmagomedov is one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time. And the Dagestani credits his late father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, for being the biggest influence in his life and making him the man he is today.

And while the elder Nurmagomedov passed away three years ago, his legacy is alive and well even after Khabib’s retirement. Islam Makhachev, Khabib’s childhood friend and current UFC lightweight champion, also started his MMA career under Abdulmanap’s tutelage. And Khabib shared a very special video of the two men grappling, to the fans’ delight.

Khabib Nurmagomedov posts video of Makhachev and his father

Khabib Nurmagomedov took to his Instagram account and posted a video of his father, Abdulmanap grappling with Islam Makhachev in Greco-Roman style. In the clip, the former Russian army veteran is able to lift and trip Makhachev pretty easily and slams him on his back.

To be clear, Makhachev is one of the best wrestlers in UFC history and Abdulmanap making short work of him shows just how good the former Sambo coach was. In the caption accompanying the post, Khabib wrote that his father was fighting the best fighter in the world. “Best fighter in the world and my Father ))) @islam_makhachev,” he wrote. And fans felt Khabib had missed a golden opportunity with his caption.

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Fans react to Islam Makhachev vs. Khabib’s father

Fans took to the comments section of Khabib’s post on Instagram and let their thoughts on the subject known. Here are some of the comments they left on it.

One fan felt the caption should be the other way around, with Abdulmanap being the best fighter in the world:

“Best fighter in the world and Islam Makhachev”

Another agreed:

“braathaarr you had the perfect chance to say “best fighter in the world and Islam”

Another was impressed at the elder Nurmagomedov’s strength:

“That man got that bear strength what a father/mentor he must of been and is within his lessons”

One fan simply wrote that Khabib was better than Conor McGregor:

“Khabib > mcregor ———–>>>>”

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Another pointed out that the former coach had built a dynasty of MMA champions:

“Abdulmanap has build a mma dynasty”

Another felt he was the best father anyone could ask for:

“Best Father”

Another wrote that Khabib was the best and Islam was the second-best fighter even today:

Islam is 2nd you are always first inshallah 

Clearly, Khabib Nurmagomedov still misses his father, which is not surprising considering just how close they were. Khabib retired from fighting right after his father’s death, as he did not want to do so without his father in his corner. And fans seemingly share ‘The Eagle’s love and appreciation for Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.

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