One of the greatest UFC fighters of all time will speak Saturday night at the Minneapolis Convention Center as part of an event hosted by Stronger Together Minnesota, a faith-based youth group based in the city's Cedar Riverside Neighborhood.
Khabib Nurmagomedov, or The Eagle, reached the pinnacle of the fighting world with a 29-0 record before announcing his retirement in 2020 and retiring from the sport completely in 2023. Now, he's set to share his life with those in attendance Saturday at the Night With Khabib: Legacy Unleashed event at Minneapolis Convention Center.
"Khabib is a legendary UFC fighter," said Mohamed Elmi, the events and logistics coordinator for Stronger Together Minnesota. "He's really probably one of the most UFC fighters of all time even though he's retired. His branding is everywhere."
Elmi says Khabib's message resonates with many of the youth who are involved with Stronger Together Minnesota.
"He's a devote Muslim and is known for practicing his faith publicly and openly without letting anyone mock his faith," he said. "I was 17 when I watched him beat Conor McGregor. Muslim youth has taken him as a role model and an unwavering pillar of someone who doesn't back down."
Stronger Together Minnesota began in summer of 2019 as a talking circle where attendees talked about issues, commonalities, and religion. Now, many of the original members, have graduated from college with the program growing to include people from all across the Twin Cities.
"It's every Saturday we usually have a guest speaker with a topic and a theme," Elmim said. "Everything is faith-based, but sometimes we bring counselors or other stuff that has to do with non faith-based topics."
The group has expanded and includes a women's group, along with a Stronger Together Ohio group.
Outside the weekly gatherings, Stronger Together Minnesota has gone across the country including Dallas to visit Mosques as well as cities of Makkah and Madina for Umrah.
"We started with 15 guys in the middle of Ramadan in 2019 and now we're welcoming a worldwide superstar like Khabib."
Elmi said Stronger Together Minnesota started as a way to bridge the gap between the younger and older Somalian population in the Twin Cities. Their motto "For the Youth, By the Youth" means the group is run by attendees which has boosted their popularity.
"We always say 'Tell a friend to bring a friend' and that's how our organic growth has worked," he said. "The Cedar Riverside is near where the mosque that we picked because we wanted everyone to be able to come. We saw this need because we have a large youth population and we've been through some hardships in recent years. We just wanted to provide that space."
Elmi believes Khabib's message will have a big impact on the young attendees.
"Khabib preaches the excellence that we believe a good Muslim should have and some of the good characteristics a Muslim should have. We thought of no one better to give us a talk and what makes him special and have the qualities he has. Even though we aren't Khabib and haven't done things like him, how we can embody those traits."
And Saturday's event is getting quite a bit of attention even from those who aren't as familiar with the UFC and MMA world.
"Even my parents who are in their late 50s and 60s who don't watch a lick of sports have heard of him," added Elmi. "The organic growth from this event and tickets has just been word of mouth."
Tickets are on sale and range from $29.99 for youth under 18, $49.99 for students, and $59.99 for a regular ticket with the event lasting from 7 p.m. until 11 p.m.
"Sports is a big part of our youth," Elmi said of the events Stronger Together Minnesota continues to host, including basketball tournaments. "We've found that sports is easily the best way to reach out to the youth."
