UFC champ Khabib Nurmagomedov offered position as assistant to the Head of Dagestan

Bloody Elbow 2.0 | Anton Tabuena

Khabib Nurmagomedov may be flirting with a career in politics.

According to a report from tass.ru, the UFC lightweight champion was offered a position as an assistant to Vladimir Vasilyev, the Head of the Republic of Dagestan. The offer was discussed during on Tuesday, November 6 when Nurmagomedov met with the Head of Dagestan to receive the highest award in his native republic, the Order of Merit for the Republic of Dagestan.

“Yes, [I received an offer to become an assistant to the Head of Dagestan], but we will discuss this at the next meeting, [which] we will have soon,” Nurmagomedov told tass.ru when asked about the offer.

While it remains unclear what Nurmagomedov’s role could entail, Vasilyev revealed during the award ceremony that he wants the fighter to “cooperate in the interests of Dagestan and Russia” through the advancement of the sports to which he “dedicated his entire life to.”

Nurmagomedov’s father, Abdulmanap, was also honored for a lifetime of sporting achievements. The longtime coach and mentor to the UFC champion received the Medal of Merit for Physical Culture and Sports in the Republic of Dagestan during an award ceremony and was commended by the Head of Dagestan for a lifetime of dedication to his craft.

“All men dream of a son that they can help become talented, successful, strong, courageous,” Vasilyev said, addressing Abdulmanap. “But you managed to raise a person that Dagestan and the whole country can be proud of.”

The ceremony for the Order of Merit was attended by several important figures in Dagestani politics, including Acting Deputy Prime Minister Anatoly Karibov, Acting Minister for Physical Culture and Sports of the Region Magomed Magomedov, and Acting Minister of Labor and Social Development Rasul Ibrahimov.

It should be noted that the UFC lightweight champion has not revealed any plans to retire from the sport. However, Nurmagomedov’s manager recently stated on The MMA Hour that his client only has one fight remaining on his UFC contract. Whether or not he choses to renew his contract remains to be seen.

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About the author

Karim Zidan

Karim Zidan is a investigative reporter and feature writer focusing on the intersection of sports and politics. He has written for BloodyElbow since 2014 and has served as an associate editor since 2016. He also writes for The New York Times and The Guardian. Karim has been invited to speak about his work at numerous universities, including Princeton, and was a panelist at the South by Southwest (SXSW) film festival and the Oslo Freedom Forum. He also participated in the United Nations counter-terrorism conference in 2021. His reporting on Ramzan Kadyrov’s involvement in MMA, much of which was done for Bloody Elbow, has led to numerous award nominations, and was the basis of an award-winning HBO Real Sports documentary.