Athletes
Khabib Grants Super-Fan's 66th Birthday Wish
Dana White Set Up The Meeting Between Nelly Gonzalez And Nurmagomedov After Seeing The Soon To Be 66-Year-Old Waiting In The Las Vegas Heat For A Picture With The Star.
When Nelly Gonzalez left her home in Lancaster, California she only had one wish for her 66th birthday – to get a picture with former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. With no guarantees in place, Gonzalez drove four hours to UFC headquarters in hopes of meeting "The Eagle".
Her plan was to hold up a sign in the 105° Las Vegas summer heat and hope her efforts would be noticed. The plan worked to perfection.
“I was blown away to see her outside in 105° heat,” UFC president Dana White told UFC.com. “All I could think is that’s incredible and let’s get her in here as soon as possible.”
66-year-old fan gets her birthday wish after waiting in 105℉ heat ❤️🎂
— UFC (@ufc) July 14, 2021
[ @DanaWhite | @TeamKhabib ] pic.twitter.com/NBPjIaHSQs
That’s when White invited Gonzalez into UFC headquarters and helped her secure a meeting with Nurmagomedov. The two facetimed with White and posed for a picture.
“It meant the world to me to meet him. It is impossible to put into words how amazing it is to meet someone whom you are a great fan of for the way he conducts himself and inspires others,” Gonzalez said. “And I must thank Dana White and Ali Abdelaziz."
Gonzalez became of fan of the UFC in 1993 and has followed the sport since. 28 years later she can say that she’s met one of the greatest to ever compete in the Octagon.
Happy 66th birthday Nelly.
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