LAS VEGAS – He will be the last man to make the long, slow walk to the cage, which will come amid an ear-splitting cacophony of boos, cheers, shouts, shrieks and music.

When Khabib Nurmagomedov gazes around after he enters the Octagon on Saturday, moments before he defends his lightweight title against former champion Conor McGregor in the main event of UFC 229, he’ll see T-Mobile Arena packed to the gills, celebrities in every direction.

It’s a place he never imagined he’d be.

He grew up in Russia, and when he made his pro debut on Sept. 13, 2008, in Poltava, Ukraine, he just wanted to get through it. Being in the biggest fight of the year, the headliner in one of the 10 richest fights of all time, was the furthest thing from his mind.

That, though, is where he finds himself, and it is the logical result of a lifetime of intense training which led to a 26-0 record and a reputation as the best grappler in MMA. Before Nurmagomedov’s arrival in the UFC, Russian fighters were rare. He shouldered the burden of the dreams not only of himself, but of others. He knew there was pressure on him to perform, because if he did, it could open the door for other Russian fighters to make their marks.

“For almost 12 years, nobody from Russia was fighting in the UFC and everybody thought it was impossible,” Nurmagomedov said. “A couple of years ago, I became 16-0 and the UFC signed. People had thought it was impossible. And when they signed me, a lot of people were going to watch. [Other fighters said], ‘If you win, a lot of us can come, too. If you lose, OK, the UFC is a different level.'”

View photos Khabib Nurmagomedov (26-0) is the first Russian UFC champion. (Getty Images) More

The pressure to succeed, he admitted, was enormous. He submitted Kamal Shalorus in the third round of his UFC debut and, as his friends had predicted, it opened the floodgates. A slew of highly talented and hungry fighters began arriving in the UFC from Russia.

“I’m very proud of it,” he said of opening the door to his countrymen to the UFC. “If you can change someone’s life, why not?”

It was the challenge of a lifetime. When he arrived in the U.S., he didn’t speak English. He knew nothing about the culture. Ordering food at a restaurant was a chore.

One of the most-used apps on his phone was Google Translate.

“When I came to California, I was living alone,” he said. “I’d go to a restaurant and I would say, ‘No meat. No chicken. Fish and something vegetable. No bread, too, because I’m on a diet.’ I was nervous about it, because if she talked with me back, I wouldn’t understand her. I would take Google Translate and say, ‘My English is zero.’ I would say, I want this, this and this, without this. I had to learn, learn and learn, because I know how important English is.”

His English has become quite good, though he still doesn’t understand everything. And that has benefitted him in the build-up to the fight with McGregor, one of the best trash-talkers in combat sports history.

Prior to the news conference in New York last month, those close to Nurmagomedov urged him to ignore what were sure to be a flurry of insults from McGregor.

“When you fight a fight at this level, you have to be prepared for everything,” Nurmagomedov manager Ali Abdelaziz said. “We knew Conor was going to do that and we talked to Khabib and told him, ‘Don’t worry about what he says. He’s going to try to get you upset. Don’t allow that.’ And he was great. You saw him. He just stayed calm and didn’t get involved.”

View photos Khabib Nurmagomedov puts his lightweight title and unbeaten record on the line vs. Conor McGregor on Saturday in Las Vegas. (Getty Images) More

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