The Legacy Stopped: Penny Appeal Missed the mark

Penny Appeal hosted an event in Toronto this past weekend where they interviewed Khabib Nurmagomedov.

The Penny Appeal team did a great job organizing the event, raising awareness, and getting sponsors. Unfortunately, I felt that the team fell short when it came to the core of the event, the interview with Khabib.

I don’t know what the intention of the interview was, how much work went into it, or how the interviewer was selected, but the entire experience was lackluster.

When you have a great mind like Khabib in front of you, the intention should be to learn how they think, approach problems, and make decisions. Understand how they approach their craft and how they approach their lives. Then reflect on your own life and how you can change things.

I’ve been a Khabib fan since 2016 and an MMA fan for much longer. Seeing an opportunity like this, be less than it could be is disheartening. The entire experience could have been better with some preparation.

In 30 minutes I came up with the following list of questions worthy of Khabib’s time. From the diehard fans to the people that came by accident, there is something for everyone.

Penny appeal, feel free to use these for any future events.

Questions about his fighting Career

1. You were offered the main event fight at UFC 200 with Nate Diaz and you turned it down. What was that decision process like? Reflecting on it now, is there anything you would have done differently?
2. You finished most of your recent fights, but the Al-Iaquinta fight went to a decision. Did you let it go to a decision? If so, why?
3. In your fight with Conor, you guys were talking back and forth. What did he say? What did you say? Did Herb Dean say anything?
4. In your fight with Dustin Poirer, he had you in a guillotine and you were not fighting it. Was this intentional? Why did you put yourself in a bad position?
5. In your fight with Justin Gaethje, you came into the fight with two broken toes. Because of the injury, were you trying to end the fight early?
6. Recently TJ Dillashaw entered the cage with a dislocated shoulder. You have entered the cage with broken toes. What do you think about fighters fighting with injuries? Is it a by-product of the culture? Will this culture change anytime soon? Are you doing things differently in Eagle FC?
7. Did the UFC approach you to Coach the Ultimate Fighter? If you turned it down, why? If they came to you now(via Islam, Belal, or others), would you join?

Questions about his Coaching Career

8. Fighters cheating in MMA has becomes more common, but points are rarely deducted(Conor vs Khabib, Chandler vs Poirier). How do you think this can change? Are you doing things differently in Eagle FC?

9. At UFC 280, you had a very vocal opposition to Sean O’Malley’s win. What do you think about the MMA scoring system? How do you think it can change? Are you doing things differently in Eagle FC?

10. Which fighter would you like to coach?

11. When you came to America, you went to train at AKA. Looking back, is there another gym/trainer you would have liked to work with?

12. At UFC 280, you we’re coaching 3 fighters in 3 fights. Everyone won on that night, but if someone lost, how would you maintain morale in the locker room? How do you maintain your composure as a coach?

13. Is there something that differentiates the best fighters from the average fighters?

Questions about his other endeavors

14. What business ventures do you have going on? How do you manage all of them?

General Questions

15. You said that growing up you looked up to GSP. Now all the kids, especially Muslim kids, are looking up to you. What do you say Muslim kids that want to do professional MMA?

16. Many people spend hours every day on social media. At UFC 280, Abubakar Nurmagomedov complained that you took his phone at night during training camp. How do you feel about social media and people that spend a lot of time on it?

17. In the West, there is a lot of discussion on gender roles, and the role of women in society. Even with the UFC, there are ring card girls and female fighters. What do you think about Women’s role in society? In the household?

18. A lot of young people are addicted to video games. What do you think about this? (He brought this up himself in the last 2 minutes).

19. Do you think every man should train in some form of combat sport? What is the minimum Fight IQ that every man should have?

20. As a follow-up, what do you think is the minimum fitness level that every man should have? Do you think all young men should be in the gym?

21. What do you think is the minimum amount of Quran, that every person should memorize?

22. What is the best martial art? What is the best martial art for self-defense?

23. Drugs and vaping have become very popular among the youth. What do you think about this? What should people do instead?

24. How important do you think is it for young men to make money? When you are rich and focused on businesses/investments, it's easier to spend time with family. But what about if you don’t have money?

25. There is a stigma against men's mental health. 4 times as many men die from suicide than women. Do you have a message for someone that is contemplating suicide?

26. Who is your favorite fighter on the UFC roster(that you do not train)?

27. What do you do if someone tries to fight with you in the street? When does a situation become self-defense?

Red Line Questions(This is the controversial stuff someone can ask if they dare)

28. Why did you attack Dillon Danis? Do you have a specific problem with him? Or Conor’s team in general? Looking back now, would have done things differently?

29. What happened with Khamzat and AbuBakr at UFC 280?

30. Did you pay your fine to the NSAC?

31. What do you think about the Islamic opinion of hitting in the face? How do you justify profiting off of this? I understand that it was the only economic opportunity for your people back in the day, but what about now?

32. Why did you start your own fight promotion? Do you think as Muslims, professional MMA is something that we should promote? Why not start a promotion that does grappling exclusively?

33. I bought Octazone and I thought the app was terrible. Do you have any plans to make it better?

34. What do you think about weight cutting? It’s unhealthy and it is cheating, but everyone does it. Do you think we can get rid of it? Have you tried implementing things differently in Eagel FC?

Once again, thank you Penny Appeal for organizing the event. Hopefully, we can be better prepared for future events.