"I had touched rock bottom in my life" - How Khabib Nurmagomedov's fight and Islam saved a cartel member's life

UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov's legacy extends beyond the octagon.

A former Mexican cartel member, Zack Gonzalez, credited him in part for helping him find his way to Islam and become a Muslim. Gonzalez was born in Mexico and was raised in the state of California in a Christian household. He has served prison time and was a high-ranking member of a Mexican cartel.

In a podcast, Gonzalez described being distraught with life and contemplating suicide before coming across a recitation from the holy Quran.

“I had touched rock bottom in my life, you know. And I was making my rope and I was looking where to hang myself. And I sit down on my bed, looking at the rope. And I think to myself like, you know what? If there’s something out there, that sh*t’s real."

He continued:

"Guide me to something that is truthful. I close my eyes and I’m like, I’m not gonna kill myself today. And I lay back and I turned on my computer, opened YouTube and I don’t know why but there was a black screen Quran recitation. Click on it and then I start hearing the recitation and I fell asleep and I woke up well.”

Gonzalez, an avid fan of MMA, then watched the UFC 254 main event and Khabib Nurmagomedov's subsequent retirement which led him to study more about Islam and the prominent companions of the Prophet Muhammad. This included the famous undefeated general Khalid ibn Walid.

“So obviously, I’ve always been active in combat sports. And a homeboy invited me over to his house, he said, hey you wanna see this UFC fight coming up? And it was Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Justin Gaethje. And I see Khabib saying, ‘Alhamdulillah’ and I was like, what is that."

"And I start investigating. And I started knowing about Khalid bin Walid, about the sahaba, how they were real warriors.They were real men. I fell in love with it… Allah guided me.”

Check out Zack Gonzalez's full comments below:

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Khabib Nurmagomedov abstains from clubbing, says it weakens athletes

Khabib Nurmagomedov has always been vocal and practiced his religion publically.

In an interview with a Russian outlet, he spoke about staying away from clubbing on religious grounds. He also labeled 'alcohol and girls' as a hurdle for athletes, which can weaken them.

He said:

“A couple of times they called me with them to the club. I told them I’m a Muslim. And they were like ‘Come on, we know two Muslims and they visit the clubs with us all the time!’ I have tried to explain them, that a Muslim is not ideal but Islam is. Alcohol and girls stand in a way of an athlete, they spoil him and make him weak.”