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Khabib Nurmagomedov almost accidentally pushed his coach Javier Mendez off the stage during the UFC 209 open workouts. The American Kickboxing Academy head coach recently posted a throwback picture of the incident on his Instagram.
During his dominant run in the UFC, Khabib Nurmagomedov rattled his opponents with unorthodox striking and proceeded to execute takedowns. 'The Eagle' would then use his Dagestani Sambo to inflict damage from the top. When Nurmagomedov was practicing this during the UFC 209 open workouts, the former pound-for-pound number one nearly shoved his coach off the stage.
In a recent Instagram post, Javier Mendez claimed that Nurmagomedov's push might've resulted in career-ending injuries. Mendez also stated that Nurmagomedov prevented his fall by holding him back.
Khabib Nurmagomedov responds to Javier Mendez
Khabib Nurmagomedov responded to his former coach with a heartwarming post on Instagram. The former champion mentioned reminiscing about his time under Javier Mendez's tutelage. Nurmagomedov has often accredited his success inside the cage to the blend of training under his late father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, and coach Javier Mendez.
Khabib Nurmagomedov announced his retirement from the competition at UFC 254 in October last year. 'The Eagle' cited the demise of his father as the reason behind his early retirement. In his post-fight interview, Nurmagomedov said:
"Today I want to say this is my last fight. No way am I coming here without my father. When UFC called me about Justin I spoke with my mother for three days. She didn't want me to fight without father and I said this is my last fight, and I have given her my word," said Nurmagomedov at the post-fight interview.
Last month, UFC president Dana White officially released Khabib Nurmagomedov from the UFC roster.
