Justin Gaethje sends warm message to Khabib Nurmagomedov and his father

Justin Gaethje is expected to fight UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov in the coming months, but that hasn’t stopped him from wishing the champ well during a period of personal turmoil.

Earlier this week, several Russian media outlets that Nurmagomedov’s father Abdulmanap was in a medically-induced coma in a Moscow hospital. While Abdulmanap has reportedly woken from this coma, he is still said to be in serious condition.

Gaethje, who recently won the interim lightweight title with a hard-fought victory over Tony Ferguson, sent Nurmagomedov a compassionate message on Twitter on Thursday.

Sending every positive vibe to Khabib and his Father. The man is a legend. I will keep praying for a speedy recovery. pic.twitter.com/W5wpnmBwx2

— Justin Gaethje 🇺🇸 (@Justin_Gaethje) May 14, 2020

“Sending every positive vibe to Khabib and his Father,” Gaethje wrote on Twitter. ‘The man is a legend. I will keep praying for a speedy recovery.”

This Tweet from Gaethje is the latest example of fighters putting rivalries and competition aside to show each other respect during difficult times. Even Nurmagomedov’s most high-profile rival, former two-division champ Conor McGregor, lowered his weapons to wish the lightweight king and his family well.

“Praying for the recovery of Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov,” McGregor wrote on Twitter. “A man responsible for more World champions, across multiple fighting disciplines, than we even know. A true martial genius! Very saddened upon hearing this news tonight. Praying for the Nurmagomedov family at this time.”

Having captured the interim lightweight title with his win over Ferguson, Justin Gaethje can look forward to a fight with Nurmagomedov in the coming months, although things are understandably up in the air at the moment given Abdulmanap’s condition.

What do you think of this message Gaethje sent the champion?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 5/14/2020.