Khabib
Nurmagomedov won’t step away from coaching until his teammates
are done.
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Nurmagomedov put Dagestan on the MMA world map with his spectacular
reign at the top of the
UFC lightweight division. However, “The Eagle” is only the
leader of a long list of elite fighters trained by his father,
Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.
Nurmagomedov retired from the sport in 2020 at the age of 32 after
the death of his father due to COVID-19 complications. Nurmagomedov
has since stepped into coaching shoes, guiding his teammates and
cousins to world titles across every promotion in the world. While
he once hinted at stepping away from coaching in 2023, the MMA GOAT
contender couldn’t stay away for long.
Nurmagomedov has a busy fortnight ahead with three of his teammates
competing in title fights. Islam
Makhachev (26-1) defends his UFC lightweight title against
Arman
Tsarukyan (22-3) in the main event at UFC 311
on Saturday at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California.
Meanwhile, Umar
Nurmagomedov (18-0) challenges Merab
Dvalishvili (18-4) for the bantamweight title in the co-main
event of the same card. And Umar’s brother, Usman
Nurmagomedov, (18-0) defends his lightweight title against
Paul Hughes
(12-2) in the main event at
Road to Dubai on Jan. 25 at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai.
Nurmagomedov recently revealed that he plans to retire from
coaching after his teammates hang up their gloves. Nurmagomedov
mentions a team of around 25 fighters who have been training with
him since his rise as a UFC champ. “The Eagle” expects at least a
handful of them to still rise to champion status in major
promotions. Once all of them are done, Nurmagomedov will finally
step away from the sport altogether in peace.
“When these guys finish, I’m gonna finish,” Nurmagomedov told ESPN.
“I hope it’s gonna be very fast. Because I’m tired of all this. We
on top of this game from last seven to eight years, since I become
champion. And you can even watch the team record, we almost don’t
lose. And I talk about like 25 fighters. We fighting everywhere in
this world. We have so many belts, so many champions in so many
different organizations. All because of sacrifice. All these guys,
they was with me, they was with my father when I beginning… Six,
seven, eight very high level [fighters], when they finish, I’m
gonna finish.”
Whether he is still coaching or not, Nurmagomedov promises that his
team will keep supplying a plethora of talent in the future as
well.
“And many, many fighters coming,” he said. “People don’t know them,
but they are very hungry. They gonna be on top very, very soon, but
not today. Maybe after a couple of years, they’re gonna be on top.
They are ready for their chance.”