Undefeated fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov enters UFC Hall of Fame in Class of 2022: WATCH

Khabib Nurmagomedov is considered one of the best fighters to have fought in the UFC octagon. The Russian retired from the sport with a perfect 29-0 record and was rewarded for his effort with a place in the UFC Hall of Fame modern fighter wing. The Modern Wing was created in 2015 when the organization decided to split up the Hall of Fame into different categories. 

UFC Hall of Fame Class of 2022: Khabib Nurmagomedov remembers father during a speech 

After being inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame Class of 2022 Khbabib Nurmagomedov in his speech remembered his late father who passed away due to COVID-19 complications just a year ago. The 'Eagle' as he is called in his speech said, " My father, he brings us from the village, he sold our house and he brings me, my brother, my cousins, it was almost like 15 people from the village to capital city. He rented a very big house and we all were living together. We would eat together. We were going to school, come back, training, come back, just father, trying to invest everything we have. Time, energy, and money, he invested in us. He invested in us".

He further added “From this house comes six world champions, UFC champions, a lot of champions and very good people because father invested everything that we have. He gave us a good education. He gave us good opportunities to learn in good schools, universities, he invested everything he had. All his life he was doing, he was investing in people. This is a very big motivation for me. Even now when I’m finished, right now I’m trying to invest in people. Because this is the best investment.”

Khabib Nurmagomedov UFC career

Nurmagomedov signed with UFC in 2011 on the back of staying unbeaten in 16 fights. He made his debut for the promotion at UFC on FX 1 with a third-round submission victory over Kamal Shalorus. Khabib won the lightweight title in 2018 and went on to hold the belt until he officially announced his retirement in October 2020.

The UFC legend was also involved in the biggest event in UFC history against McGregor at UFC 229 in October 2018 which shattered the pay-per-view record. Nurmagomedov beat McGregor in that fight via submission. Following the win over McGregor, Khabib fought two more times, defeating Dustin Poirier (UFC 242) and Justin Gaethje (UFC 254) before hanging up his gloves. 

A look at other members of the UFC Hall of Fame club 

Cub Swanson

The UFC legend was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame Fight Wing for his epic bout against Dooho Choi which earned Fight of the Year in 2016. Swanson extended his UFC contract after his Performance of the Night bout against Darren Elkins in December 2021 and is looking forward to creating more iconic moments in the Octagon.

Daniel Cormier

Daniel Cormier was a former two-division champion (light heavyweight and heavyweight) and stamped his legacy as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the promotion's history.