UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has seen many family members, including his father Abdulmanap, infected by the coronavirus. Having seen the impact of the virus at close quarters, ‘The Eagle’ has sternly hit out at those who still do not believe in the coronavirus.

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Khabib Nurmagomedov lashes out at coronavirus naysayers 

Replying to a comment on Instagram, the UFC fighter wrote, In my village, more than 500 people fell ill with pneumonia at once. 11 died and dozens more people were in the hospital from my village. In a neighboring village, 14 people died during the night and there wasn’t enough time to bury them. Sorry I’m not as smart as you.”

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Earlier, ‘The Eagle’ confirmed reports of his father’s deteriorating condition on an Instagram Live. He said the virus intensified his father’s heart problems, and he is in a very difficult situation

“He’s in a difficult situation, very difficult. We ask Allah to return him to us. Thank you very much to everyone who writes, who sends their support. May Allah help us all.”

Late last month, Abdulmanap was down with pneumonia. However, he declared that “he felt fine” and refused coronavirus tests. Earlier this month, the patriarch was moved from Dagestan to a Moscow hospital. Here, the pneumonia was diagnosed as coronavirus, which aggravated his heart problems. Subsequently, the 57-year-old underwent heart surgery following which doctors placed him in a medically induced coma. 

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Later, after an improvement, they woke him. However, his condition deteriorated again. As per a close family friend, the renowned wrestling coach was unable to speak and remained critical in the short time he was out of the coma. Now, he is unable to breathe without life support. 

With Russia having the second-highest number of cases (300,000 +) worldwide, one hopes people understand the severity of the situation. ‘The Eagle’ certainly does. One can interpret his comment of “Allah help us” to mean help the doubters understand the severity of the situation. 

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The thoughts and prayers of MMA fans all over the world are with the Nurmagomedov family. They will be hoping that Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov recovers soon. 

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Reubyn Coutinho

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Reubyn Coutinho is the Head of Fact-Checking Initiatives and Content Quality Lead at EssentiallySports, where he oversees editorial quality across multiple sports verticals. A Communication graduate, he’s spent over five years shaping the site’s evolution from a niche sports blog into an all-in-one news platform, mentoring more than 110 journalists, introducing data-driven article improvements, and developing editorial guidelines for global audiences. Across his career at ES, Reubyn has worked as a writer, editor, and senior editor, covering everything from UFC, WWE, and boxing to F1, NFL, NBA, and tennis. His bylines include exclusive interviews with former UFC champions Demetrious Johnson and Miesha Tate, as well as combat sports stars Marcus Almeida and Sage Northcutt. Known for his meticulous eye, he regularly resolves headline debates, revisits trending pieces using live analytics, and sets the standard for high-quality sports reporting. Outside of sports media, Reubyn is an active film critic, contributing reviews and festival coverage to Netflix Junkie, where he’s covered events such as MAMI, Venice, and NYAFF. Whether he’s breaking down a championship fight or a Hitchcock classic, his work comes with deep research with a pure love for sport.

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