Among the most legendary athletes, there are some whose aura and influence greatly transcends their discipline. Undefeated in MMA during his immense career, Khabib Nurmagomedov is one of them since his last fight completely changed the life of a former gangster. The story is as strong as it is moving.
Where other UFC superstars have rarely escaped controversy, like Conor McGregor or Jon Jones for example, Khabib Nurmagomedov has generally rarely been linked to angry subjects. Except when he broaches the subject of ring girls… But apart from that, the fighter has always wanted to keep a clean image, in accordance with his religious beliefs since he is a devout practitioner of Islam.
Spokesperson for the Muslim community, always ready to quote the Koran or its precepts, The Eagle has left its mark on more than one person in this way. Including a former criminal named Zack Gonzalez, who was a member of the Mexican cartels and spent time in prison before contemplating suicide. Everything changed when he discovered Islam, as he recounted in an interview that Khabib shared on his Instagram account:
A former gangster’s crazy anecdote about Khabib and Islam
I had hit rock bottom in my life, you know. I had prepared my rope and was looking for where to hang myself. I sat on my bed and looked at the rope. And I was like, you know what? If there’s something out there, that shit is real. I closed my eyes and told myself that I wasn’t going to kill myself today. Then I lay down and turned on my computer, opened YouTube and I don’t know why, but there was a black screen of reciting the Quran. I clicked on it and started hearing the recitation, fell asleep and woke up fine.
It is not uncommon for people in distress to find salvation in religion and this is clearly what happened with Gonzalez, who therefore opened up to Islam. But coming back to Khabib in particular, the former lightweight champion also directly contributed to changing the former gangster’s life thanks to his last career victory in 2020, at UFC 254:
A friend invited me to his house and said, “Do you want to see this UFC fight”? And it was Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Justin Gaethje. I saw Khabib say “Alhamdulillah” and wondered what that meant. I started to investigate. And I began to learn about Khalid bin Walid (companion of the Prophet Mohamed and great military strategist, editor’s note), about the sahaba, about the fact that they were real warriors, real men. I fell in love with it… Allah guided me.
A devout practitioner of the Muslim religion, Khabib Nurmagomedov has often represented a source of inspiration to his fans, including those within the criminal world. Plagued by serious demons at one point in his life, Zack Gonzalez however recovered thanks to The Eagle and his religious practices.
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