Khabib Nurmagomedov was one of the most dominating contenders to ever compete in the lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He became the UFC lightweight champion for the first time by defeating Al Iaquinta via a unanimous decision in April 2018. Moreover, his name and legacy took off when he faced former UFC two-division champion Conor McGregor in a title defense at UFC 223 in October 2018. As per Tapology, the event is still one of the most popular and highest-grossing PPVs of the promotion.
Following his successful title defense at UFC 223, Nurmagomedov made two more successful title defenses against Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje, respectively. However, the Russian fighter retired following his second-round submission win against Gaethje at UFC 254 in October 2020. While talking to Jon Anik during the post-fight octagon interview, Nurmagomedov said:
"I talked with my mother for three days. She don't know I go fight without father, but I promised her it's gonna be my last fight".
Khabib Nurmagomedov's disciples
Even after retiring from professional competition, Khabib Nurmagomedov still works as a coach and mentors numerous mixed martial artists. Some of the prominent fighters under Khabib Nurmagomedov are the UFC lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev, bantamweight title challenger, Umar Nurmagomedov, Bellator lightweight champion, Usman Nurmagomedov, Tagir Ulanbekov, Abubakar Nurmagomedov, etc.
Nurmagomedov has previously trained and cornered the welterweight champion, Belal Muhammad for his fight against Sean Brady at UFC 280.
During UFC 311 Embedded, episode 1, Ode Osbourne, UFC's flyweight contender mentioned that he saw Khabib Nurmagomedov at the sauna and asked if he could join his class. Nurmagomedov was more than happy to let Osbourne in for the training.
However, the former UFC champion does not enjoy the process of coaching as much as he did while fighting.
While talking to Brett Okamoto, Khabib mentioned that it is easier to fight than be a coach and corner fighter. He said:
" When I was inside the cage, I don't have to talk. When I was outside with Islam, for almost 25 minutes, I was just talking. I cannot do anything, I don't like this. But it was an amazing fight for the fans. "
*Last updated on January 15, 2025.
FAQs on who does Khabib Nurmagomedov coach?
A. Some of the prominent fighters under Khabib Nurmagomedov are the UFC lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev, bantamweight title challenger, Umar Nurmagomedov, Bellator lightweight champion, Usman Nurmagomedov, Tagir Ulanbekov, Abubakar Nurmagomedov, etc.
A. Khabib Nurmagomedov retired from MMA with a record of 29 wins and no losses.
A. Yes, Khabib Nurmagomedov will be coaching and be a corner man for Islam Makhachev at UFC 311.
A. Nurmagomedov has previously trained and cornered the welterweight champion, Belal Muhammad for his fight against Sean Brady at UFC 280.
