‘A dream come true’: Khabib opens own gym to train Dagestani MMA stars of the future

3 Dec, 2019 20:00 / Updated 5 years ago

UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and his father and trainer Abdulmanap have spoken of their pride after opening a gym for MMA stars of the future in their Dagestani homeland.

The pair opened the gym in local capital Makhachkala earlier this week, with Khabib describing the endeavor as a “dream come true.”

"Here you can train Muay Thai, jiu-jitsu, grappling, combat sambo, MMA, everything you want," said the UFC champ. 

"You can see a lot of kids here, it's going to be full all day.

"This is why I opened this gym, I want a lot of young generation guys training here to become professional fighters," Khabib added. 

The facility bears the name of Abdulmanap, and will provide top facilities for up to 100 budding MMA stars to train at any one time.

So if the UFC ranks thought one Khabib was tough enough to handle, they should brace themselves for even more Dagestani destroyers emerging in the coming years.  

Check out the video at the top of the page to see the gym and to hear in full what Khabib and his dad had to say at the grand opening.