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Eagle Fighting Championship (EFC) is an MMA promotion owned by former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. On Thursday, EFC announced they will host a memorial event for The Eagle's late father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, to honor his legacy.
The memorial event is likely to be held in September of this year, EFC president Shamil Zavurov told RT Sport MMA. Since the fight card has not yet been finalized, there is some speculation regarding Khabib Nurmagomedov potentially competing at the event.
Will Khabib Nurmagomedov fight at the memorial event of his father?
Although Shamil Zavurov didn't throw light on Khabib Nurmagomedov's presence at Abdulmanap's memorial event, it is highly unlikely The Eagle will pick up his MMA gloves once again.
It is well known that Abdulmanap wanted Khabib to achieve a perfect 30-0 fighting record - an astonishing feat that was cut short after the Dagestani announced his retirement. However, the former UFC champion can fulfill his father's wish if he fights one more time, and more importantly, secure another victory.
UFC president Dana White - for months - was trying to convince Nurmagomedov to come out of retirement. But the Dagestani didn't budge, and decided not to return. If Nurmagomedov chose not to compete in the UFC and potentially achieve a 30-0 record, then it is safe to assume that he has hung up his gloves for good.
Moreover, if Nurmagomedov indeed comes back, EFC will certainly have a tough time choosing an opponent for him, unless they prefer to do a friendly exhibition match, which will not extend his professional MMA win record.
Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov's memorial event took place in September last year as well
A memorial event for Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov previously happened in September of last year, which was hosted by Fight Nights Global (now AMC Fight Nights).
Khabib Nurmagomedov's cousin, Usman, took part in the event as he defeated Svyatoslav Shabanov via TKO in the second round. Abdulmanap's pupils, including Khabib, paid a wonderful tribute to him at the press conference.
This year, the memorial event will be hosted by EFC, according to the promotion's president, Shamil Zavurov:
"We haven't talked about co-hosting it with anyone because we are capable of hosting a high-level event ourselves. If our organization and Fight Nights are both interested, why not? Nothing is set in stone yet. But we're preparing for that event," said Zavurov (transcription courtesy: RT Sport MMA).
