Is Magomed Ankalaev related to Khabib Nurmagomedov?

Russia's Magomed Ankalaev is one of the few elite wrestlers in the light heavyweight division dominated by strikers. Ankalaev belongs to Dagestan, Russia, a region that has produced several prominent MMA fighters in recent years, such as Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev, among others.

While there are uncanny similarities between Magomedov and Khabib in terms of social and cultural background and a strong wrestling foundation, are they related to each other? Let's find out.

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Is Magomed Ankalaev related to Khabib Nurmagomedov?

Magomed Ankalaev and Khabib Nurmagomedov are not related to each other. Both men are of Avar descent, a dominant ethnic group in Dagestan and are followers of the Islamic faith. However, their families are not related to each other.

The duo are not a part of the same team, either. Khabib leads the Eagles MMA team, founded in 2016, and was trained by his late father and legendary coach, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov. Meanwhile, Ankalaev has primarily trained at Fight Club Akhmet, founded by Ramzan Kadyrov and headquartered in Grozny, Chechnya, Russia.

There are no records of Ankalaev and Nurmagomedov having familial ties either. Ankalaev's family belongs to the Shamilsky district in Dagestan, Russia. He was born in the Teletl' village and is the eldest among the five siblings.

His father passed away when he was in ninth or tenth grade in school, and took up the responsibility to support his family. After starting his martial arts journey in Greco-Roman wrestling, Ankalaev eventually transitioned to MMA and became an amateur champion before turning pro.

Although there are no other links between Khabib and Ankalaev, they have been represented by the same management team, Ali Abdelaziz-led Dominance MMA, in their UFC careers.

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Ali Abdelaziz thinks Magomed Ankalaev could be similar to Khabib Nurmagomedov in one aspect

Khabib Nurmagomedov is one of the most dominant champions in UFC history, retiring with an undefeated professional MMA record of 29-0. While Ankalaev is yet to win the UFC title, his manager Ali Abelaziz feels confident that he will create a legacy comparable to that of Khabib, Islam Makhachev and Kamaru Usman.

In a September 2024 interview with ESPN MMA, Abdelaziz said:

"I believe [Magomed Ankalaev] is the best light heavyweight in the planet, I know it, you know it, Dana White knows it. When these type of guysget there... Like Islam Makhachev, Kamaru Usman, like Khabib Nurmagomedov, they stay there for a long time."

Check out Ali Abdelaziz's comments below (20:28):

Ankalaev is set to challenge UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira for the title next. The fight will headline the UFC 313 pay-per-view event scheduled to take place on March 8 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.