This homebody who had only recently returned from her Australia Book Tour did not even know this event was happening but thankfully my awesome neighbours gifted me a ticket (for my birthday they said!) to see Khabib Nurmagomedov Live in Malaysia!
I came early knowing seats were first-come-first-served. I bought a sandwich as I hadn't had breakfast and was going to head to the entrance of WTC when I saw someone that looked like Coach Azzli from the corner of my eye. I turned fully and went, "Oh my God!!!!". It wasn't just Coach Azzli but several faces from my beloved Neuefit gang! Coach Faisal, Yusuf and Hussin were there with Coach Azzli and another man I didn't recognise. I was prepared to attend the event myself but I was so happy to see the faces from the days I was training Muay Thai & Boxing here!
We got to take a picture together with the poster and chatted a bit before we parted ways as they had the Undisputed ticket tier while mine was the Daghestan one. The event, organised by Faith Events, began with the emcee Alif Satar (of #SubuhMacamJumaat fame) speaking to Johan "Jojo" Ghazali, the 17-year-old One Championship fighter from Malaysia. It was followed by several videos and fighting demonstrations from various gyms. There was MMA, Muay Thai, Silat with weapons and Muay Boran.
And then finally, it was time for the man himself.
I thought the dynamics between Alif Satar and Khabib was a bit weird. KJ (Khairy Jamaluddin) was in the crowd and I think he would have made a more suitable emcee or person on the stage to match Khabib. In any case, Khabib held his ground and offered so many gems.
My favourite was when he had spent so much time talking about the importance of focus and discipline and training and how crucial these were, and then said that 80% of his success is due to the ecosystem and people around him. 80%! We are truly the product of the people we surround ourselves with. He also said later that he felt really lucky to have grown up in a part of Daghestan where everybody around him was religious.
Khabib credited having a solid Islamic foundation for helping him deal with the money and fame that came with being a world champion, which he says are two of the hardest things in life. He said, "Money never comes alone. Money always comes with problems." He said 70% of his life was when he had little money. Alif asked, "Was it difficult?" to which Khabib replied, "No, it was a good life" referring to the time without money. He also said that people always think that when they have more money, they'll have more time to relax. But again, money never comes alone and when you have more money, you need to work harder to either make more or to work for the money you've earned.
On fame, Khabib mentioned an incident at an airport years ago and people were bothering his private time with his family. His mum told him, "Relax. Be patient with people. If they don't like you, they won't come to you. They only come to you because they love you." He said his mother's words helped to change his perspective on fame. He now feels honoured to shoulder this burden of fame and being an inspiration to others. He said the flipside of fame is that when you are a regular person, you can make mistakes and learn from them quietly but "nobody forgives the mistakes of a famous person."
Some other gems from Khabib The Eagle Nurmagomedov:
"To be weak is easy, you just do nothing. To be strong, you must work."
"Patience is the key to everything."
"With your parents, there is no freedom of speech. Whether you are 17 or 20 or 50 years old, as long as your parents are still alive, you listen to what they say."
Related to the above, he mentioned how it was easy for him to retire early when his mum told him to but it was very difficult for people to understand or accept. Someone even told him, "You didn't even ask how much money we are willing to pay you to reverse your decision!" And he said, "I don't have to ask you because I've already decided."
It wasn't in the same part of the conversation but much earlier on, Alif had played the video of that now-meme when Khabib said "Alhamdulillah! I know you don't like it but Alhamdulillah" and asked Khabib to speak about that moment. He said something along the lines of how he respects everyone's opinions and choices but that being a Muslim was his choice and he is proud of it, even if people don't like it. I got reminded of this from the previous point because it requires strength and is a show of strength when you believe in yourself or stand by your beliefs and decisions even if no one else understands or supports it.
His main advice that he repeated was the importance of knowledge and being educated. He says never stop learning and "knowledge helps you face everything in life and to understand why things are the way they are."
"If you (as a fighter) are mentally and physically strong, you will be hard to beat."
Khabib quoted a Roman emperor who said "to create your brave, you need to study and exercise."
On advice to someone who wants to be a great fighter, Khabib said, "Be around good coaches and good sparring partners, and you must really believe in your goal and want to be the greatest."
All in all, I'm really glad to be in the presence of one of the greats. May Allah bless Khabib, guide him and guide through him, increase him in goodness, and grant him success here and hereafter, ameen!