Khabib Nurmagomedov won’t step away from coaching until his teammates are done.
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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.”
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