“Pray for Dagestan” - Khabib Nurmagomedov’s manager calls for prayers after deadly blast brings UFC star’s hometown to a standstill

Khabib Nurmagomedov's hometown of Makhachkala in Dagestan, Russia was recently hit with a deadly blast. As per initial reports, the blast was caused by an accidental fire that started at an auto repair shop on the highway and spread to a nearby gas station.

As per the Russian health ministry, the fire left 60 injured of whom 12 died. Meanwhile, Interfax news agency reported the number of deaths to be 25, citing regional emergency medics. 13 of the wounded are reported to be children as per the Russian health ministry.

It took 260 firefighters more than three and a half hours to douse the fire that had spread over 600 square meters.

Khabib Nurmagomedov's manager Ali Abdelaziz who now represents a horde of Dagestani fighters, called for prayers for the capital of Makhachkala. Abdelaziz also reported the death toll to be 50. The Dominance MMA CEO wrote:

"Guys pray for Dagestan, there was a huge explosion today and more than 50 people died"

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Khabib Nurmagomedov's early training days in the mountains of Dagestan

While Dagestan has always been a storehouse of MMA talent, nurtured by pioneers like Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, it was his son Khabib Nurmagomedov's success that brought the region into the limelight.

There has been no dearth of elite grapplers from Dagestan since with Nurmagomedov's prodigy Islam Makhachev following in 'The Eagle's' footsteps. The rampant success of Dagestani fighters in elite MMA promotions around the globe is no coincidence.

During an earlier interview with UFC Russia, Khabib Nurmagomedov once detailed the grueling conditions he trained under while growing up in Dagestan. The former UFC lightweight champ said:

"I gave it my all. For instance, we never had a shower with hot water. There was only one shower for seventy people. And when we had our training camps in the mountains, somewhere around 2005, there was no shower there. We bathed in spring water. Also, there was no washing machine. We had to walk a hundred metres to relieve ourselves. We slept in the attic: seventy people in the stacks. There was a kitchen downstairs, and it was built with stones, no grout."

Catch Nurmagomedov's comments below: