Nurmagomedov rejects friendship inside the ring

Wrestler Habib Nur Mammadov confirmed during his participation in the World Sports Summit that the transition from the ring to the training role constitutes a major transformation on the mental and emotional level, pointing out that training is completely different from fighting. He said: “When I am a coach, I can only talk and give advice, I cannot use my hands or my body. This point is very difficult for me, because when I am inside the ring I can do everything, but training is completely different. Sometimes I feel that I prefer to be a fighter, because training requires that I live a little normal life after each session, and I need at least a week to recover.” “It drains me a lot of energy, because I can’t be emotionally relaxed. The fighters I coach are very close to me, and when I see them facing blows or difficulties, I feel it greatly.”

Nurmagomedov added: “Life inside the ring is different from daily life. In sports like football, a player may lose a match and take a picture afterwards while smiling. However, in our sport, when a fighter loses, he cannot pretend to be happy or post normal pictures. It is completely different. Therefore, I cannot be friends with fighters I have faced inside the ring. We may be polite, but true friendship is impossible because they tried to crush you in the fight, and this is something that cannot be easily overcome.”

He talked about his love for competition and his passion for sports since childhood, and said: “Competition is in my blood. I love wrestling and confrontation. Since I was young, I loved football, and I dreamed of becoming a football player, but because of the place where I was born and because of the influence of my father as a coach, I found myself in the world of fighting. Football is still close to my heart, and I follow it with passion, but my destiny was to become a professional fighter.”

Regarding his beginnings in the ring, Nur Mammadov mentioned the story of his famous nickname, and said: “When I was signed in 2012, they asked me for a nickname because my name is difficult for the public to pronounce. I asked my manager why I needed a nickname, and they told me that it was necessary for marketing, so I chose ‘Eagle’ because it symbolizes my strength and is close to my personality. Six years later, my name became known internationally, and this shows how the title can become part of a fighter’s identity. Today, there are young fighters without losses, professional champions, who do not win. “On the chance that they do not talk much or do not appear in the media, and this is unfair, because sports should be based on ability and level, not on fame or the number of followers.”

Nurmagomedov referred to his philosophy of training and leadership, and said: “We have a whole team of coaches, and I make sure that every fighter in the training hall knows that there is no freedom in decision-making: if you say something, it is the final one. Training requires discipline, and this shows in the results. Over ten years, we have champions in various tournaments, and we are very proud of what we have achieved. For example, in an event Coca-Cola Arena On February 7th, we have seven of our fighters who will participate in the fight, and this requires high concentration and great energy on my part as a coach. I have to give them the right advice and the right energy, and that’s part of leadership, planning, and management. Leadership doesn’t just come from being a former champion, it requires different skills, including emotional control, understanding different personalities, and effective communication.”

He added about his philosophy of sharing knowledge and experience: “Life is about sharing. The knowledge, experience and energy that I have I try to pass on to our fighters. I want them to be better than me, and to become world champions. This is what makes me unable to live without them, and I prefer to be with them to share my experience with them, because this is part of my personality and what I learned from my father. My father was a very strict and disciplined coach. From him I learned how to listen, how to direct the team, and how to balance rigor and respect. Since I was young, I have been learning “From him, and today I try to continue his legacy and apply it to my team.”

Nurmagomedov touched on fair sport and the importance of equal opportunities: “In recent years, we have seen many fighters disqualified not because they lost, but because their contracts expired and they were not offered a renewal. This is unfair, and sports should be 50-50, in order to find out who is really the best, not who has the best following or the best appearance. If you want to compete, let’s go 50-50, but not 100-0, that’s not fair.”

Nurmagomedov concluded his speech by emphasizing his aspirations for the future: “There is a new generation of talented and ambitious fighters from Dagestan and Pakistan, and it is difficult to limit them or prevent them from reaching the highest levels. These young men are hungry for success, focused only on fighting, and do not care about appearances or the media. I want to help them, share my experience with them, and ensure that they are the best, not only in their country, but in the world.”