Khabib Nurmagomedov with Ziyavudin Magomedov (Credits: Bloody Elbow)
Russian autocrat who sponsored Khabib Nurmagomedov sentenced to nineteen years in prison
Khabib Nurmagomedov’s sponsor and Russian autocrat Ziyavudin Magomedov has been sentenced to prison for nineteen years on embezzlement and organized crime charges. The news was reported by investigative journalist Karim Zidan.
According to a report that was published on Thursday by Interfax, a court in Moscow has sentenced former billionaire Ziyavudin Magomedov to 19 years in prison with the highest level of security for the crimes of stealing state funds and organising a criminal group.
Ziyavudin Magamedov, age 54, amassed his fortune during the presidency of Dmitry Medvedev by founding and becoming the primary owner of Summa, a Russian holding company that unites companies in a variety of strategic sectors including port logistics, telecommunications, and oil transport. Magomedov built his fortune as a result of his role as Summa’s founder and owner.
Summa had a stake in a number of important infrastructure and development projects, including the construction of a football World Cup stadium in the Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad and oil transfer operations in the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, both of which were featured in the highly secretive case against the businessman. In addition, Summa had a stake in the construction of a football World Cup stadium in the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk.
Magomedov was arrested prior to Khabib Nurmagomedov”s lightweight title fight against Al Iaquinta at UFC 223. Nurmagomedov urged Russian president Vladimir Putin to “help” Magomedov and release him:
”Our elder brother, co-owner of our team Ziyavudin Magomedov, is in a difficult situation. He was very helpful to me and other athletes from Russia. Now he has problems, but I want him to know that we, the athletes, are praying for him. I believe that this situation will soon be resolved. I hope that our leader Vladimir Putin will help him. I want to congratulate him on the victory in the last election.”
Khabib Nurmagomedov retired from the sport with an untarnished 29-0 record. His father’s death influenced his decision to retire, and he was one of the few fighters to do so while still in their prime. Despite the fact that he has been retired for over a year, McGregor and Khabib maintain a hostile relationship and have engaged in several Twitter tirades. Most recently, during a recent speaking engagement with Class A Events in Toronto, the now-retired mixed martial artist & coach took a shot at the Irishman. McGregor, obviously retaliated and the MMA world exploded.
While speaking about the current landscape of MMA in Dagestan, the Russian referenced a past quote by ‘The Notorious’:
“Right now we have current UFC & Bellator lightweight champions. And this is amazing, this is amazing. I hear, like, long time ago, when one guy was talking about, ‘We’re here to take over.’ But, we’re here to take over.”
In a reply on Twitter that has since been deleted, McGregor wrote:
“I fight on! Your fathers plan is never complete because you quit and ran, brother. God bless. I’m still here if you wanna go again. But your fear of defeat means you’ve already lost. Run from it all you want. We all lose in the end. Death takes us all. I fear nothing but God”
Of late, McGregor posted another image of him in what looks like a post-cardio session, flexing his gain. Conor McGregor referenced the classic Nick Diaz quote that has stayed with MMA fans and media members since then. The quote has been recycled, made into T-shirts, memed, and is referenced by fighters every now and then. Diaz spontaneously said it after his controversial loss to KJ Noons.
McGregor took to Twitter and wrote:
“Don’t be scared homie.”
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