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Khabib Nurmagomedov promoting Dagestani fight card in July

By Thomas Albano

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 04: Khabib Nurmagomedov of Russia speaks during the UFC 229 Press Conference inside The Park Theater at Park MGM on October 4, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 04: Khabib Nurmagomedov of Russia speaks during the UFC 229 Press Conference inside The Park Theater at Park MGM on October 4, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) /
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UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov will play the role of promoter for an event scheduled to take place in Dagestan this July.

It appears that suspended UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is trying his hand at being a promoter, as his name appears in a poster for an upcoming Gorilla Fighting Championship event taking place in July in his native Dagestan, Russia.

ESPN’s Brett Okamoto confirmed the news with Nurmagomedov’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz.

It is unknown how deeply involved the UFC 155-pound champion will be in for this event.

Nurmagomedov is not the first combat sports athlete to go from fighter to promoter. Ray Sefo was a Muay Thai champion and veteran of K-1 — along with bouts in boxing and MMA — before he founded the World Series of Fighting (WSOF). He is still current president of the promotion, which has been rebranded as the Professional Fighters’ League (PFL).

More examples of fighters turning into promoters can be found in boxing, including legends Oscar De La Hoya (Golden Boy Promotions), Floyd Mayweather (Mayweather Promotions) and Roy Jones Jr. (Roy Jones Jr. Boxing Promotions).

GFC 13 takes place on July 13 and will feature two of Nurmagomedov’s cousins, Shamil Zavurov and Umar Nurmagomedov. The event will also see action from WSOF and PFL veteran Timur Valiev, 14-1 Fight Nights Global veteran Saygid Izagakhmaev and M-1 Global veteran Artur Guseinov.

Nurmagomedov is still currently suspended for his post-fight antics that took place following his title fight with rival Conor McGregor at UFC 229. His suspension is up in July, and while not confirmed by the UFC, it is widely believed that he will return at UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi this September.

There, it is expected he will defend his championship in the main event against interim champion Dustin Poirier. Poirier won the interim 155-pound title in a fight with featherweight champ Max Holloway at UFC 236. This fight would mark Nurmagomedov’s second defense of the UFC title.

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