Khabib Nurmagomedov: Dagestan terrorist attacks beyond human

Khabib Nurmagomedov, former Russian mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter, called the terrorist attacks in Dagestan's Makhachkala and Derbent truly atrocious. Commenting on the attacks that claimed the lives of more than 15 people, Nurmagomedov urged his followers to take care of themselves and their families, as well as to carefully monitor social circles of their children to keep them safe.

The athlete expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and said that the events in Dagestan went beyond human actions.

"May Allah keep us safe from all such situations and grant us a peaceful sky above our heads. Take care of yourselves and your loved ones, and let everyone look around themselves and around their children, who they socialise with," the former UFC lightweight champion wrote on social media.

Nurmagomedov confirmed that one of the Dagestani terrorists was connected to his martial arts school Eagles MMA.

Khabib's manager Rizvan Magomedov said that 28-year-old MMA fighter Gadzhimurad Kagirov, one of the organisers of the Dagestan terrorist attacks, attended a gym of Eagles MMA club. The killed terrorist was not a pupil of Nurmagomedov's school, the manager added.

"Calling him a pupil of Nurmagomedov's school is wrong. It does not correspond to reality. In 2021, he came to the gym with his older brother, they trained for a month or so, but that was it. He was never seen in the gym again," Rizvan Magomedov, Khabib Nurmagomedov's manager said.

In Dagestan, mass checks will be held for MMA sports clubs, including Khabib Nurmagomedov's martial arts school Eagles MMA and all of its former members. Security officers will also inspect the gyms in which athletes prepare for mixed martial arts competitions. The main purpose of such checks is to detect "radical athletes" who may agree to participate in the organisation of terrorist attacks.