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“Putin Got Involved”- UFC Legend Insinuates Russia’s $10 Million Funding Has Restricted Khabib to Dagestan

Published 01/15/2023, 2:15 PM EST

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Chael Sonnen recently spoke about Khabib Nurmagomedov. He began by talking about ‘The Eagle’s decision to retire from coaching. Being a fellow fighter, Sonnen was able to relate when Nurmagomedov said he wanted to focus on his family instead of traveling more for professional needs. As the conversation went further, Sonnen mentioned Vladimir Putin’s funding for education in Dagestan, which helped in making both schools and training facilities.

Putin, the president of the Russian Federation, was generous enough to listen to the Russian fighter and later granted about 600 million rubles ($9.3 USD) to open a school, back in 2019. They named the school after Khabib Nurmagomedov. The money that Putin granted was undoubtedly for a generous purpose; where children from the villages get a better opportunity to learn more.

Chael Sonnen on Khabib Nurmagomedov and Vladimir Putin

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Talking about Putin, ‘The American Gangster’ said, “what’s interesting is Khabib’s father who got this whole thing going has Government funding where Putin got involved and funded a training facility to the tune of 10 million dollars and it’s just gorgeous I remember getting a walk through on camera I remember getting a video walkthrough of it..”

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Talking about the infrastructure of the facility, Sonnen added, “it was two stories, and it was just beautiful and he was changing guys’ lives within this village within this town.”

The news was first announced by Nurmagomedov’s father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, in an interview with Teacher’s Newspaper. During the announcement, his father also added that ‘The Eagle’s request to the president to increase funding for education in Dagestan followed the backing.

The funding from Putin

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After defeating Conor McGregor at UFC 229, Nurmagomedov met Putin. The Russian fighter and his father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, met the president in Ulyanovsk during his victory tour. The entire discourse took place at this meeting. Following the contest, Putin spoke with ‘The Eagle’ about the fight and offered his congratulations on his victory. Millions of people watched the national television broadcast of the conversation between the two parties. However, the situation has changed, which was precisely the point Chael Sonnen was making. He was discussing Nurmagomedov‘s decision to give up on his MMA career.

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Nurmagomedov retired as the UFC’s lightweight champion with a 29-0 perfect record. In his final championship defense at UFC 254, he submitted interim champion Justin Gaethje in the second round. ‘The Eagle’ announced his retirement in an emotional manner at UFC 254. In the octagon, Nurmagomedov broke down in tears after defeating ‘The Highlight’. As he thought of his late father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, he sobbed. The revelation startled both his fellow boxers and his supporters in equal measure. 

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Written by:

Priyanka

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Priyanka is a UFC writer at EssentiallySports. She has been an ardent fan of the UFC since 2018. She is passionate when it comes to writing about the sport and this is evident in her articles.
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Edited by:

Vineet Nandwana