UFC star Khabib Nurmagomedov reacts to recent murder of Dagestani politician by calling for societal change

Retired UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov recently took to Instagram to react to the death of a former Dagestani village head and call for societal change in Dagestan.

Khabib Nurmagomedov resorted to social media after reports emerged that the beloved Dagestani politician, Abakar Kaplanov, the former village head of Novokuli village, was killed inside a police station in Makhachkla on Saturday evening. It is believed that Abakar Kaplanov had a long-standing feud with two villagers over a land dispute, both of whom are members of the National Guard of Russia (Rosgvardia). He was reportedly shot 36 times, resulting in the police station being surrounded by hundreds of people by Sunday morning.

Khabib Nurmagomedov broke his silence on the incident by posting a picture of himself and quoting the war poem 'Vasily Tyorkin' by Alexander Tvardovsky. The Eagle called for societal change and emphasized on education being its basis:

"Many people write to me to comment on the latest events in Dagestan, everything related to murders, garbage and similar events that occur in our Republic almost every day. The words of the poet I quoted above are well suited to today's events. And I want to say that I did not copy these words (poems) from the Internet, I learned them by heart. Raise your children, teach them, show them the right example so that they grow up healthy, smart and worthy, they can change the situation in which we live. Only educated and well-mannered people who have the right values will be able to change society."

Khabib Nurmagomedov's fellow Dagestaani fighters also spoke on the issue

Apart from Khabib Nurmagomedov, other Dagestani fighters like Islam Makachev and Timur Valiev also voiced their grief via social media. Islam Makachev, who trains with Khabib Nurmagomedov, paid tribute to Kaplanov with a photo and a message.

Timur Valiev also revealed that the tragic incident had impacted his preparations for his UFC bout against Martin Day, whom he went on to defeat via unanimous decision. Referring to Abakar Kaplanov as 'a worthy son of our people', Valiev said:

"It was very difficult to get ready for the fight because in the morning he wrote to me and wished me victory. He was going to meet me at the airport. And after a couple of hours I was informed that he was gone. I ask everyone to make dua [worship] for our brother, Abakar. We will miss you.”