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Khabib Nurmagomedov isn't a full-time MMA coach yet, but he does train some of his teammates and friends.
Since retiring from MMA last year, 'The Eagle' has cornered fights for the likes of Islam Makhachev, Umar Nurmagomedov, Usman Nurmagomedov and Abubakar Nurmagomedov.
The undefeated Russian also cornered Tagin Ulanbekov in his fight against Allan Nascimento at UFC 267. Ulanbekov won the fight via decision after three rounds. Khabib is also expected to corner Islam Makhachev in a couple of hours for his lightweight clash against Dan Hooker.
While Umar, Usman, and Abubakar are all Khabib Nurmagomedov's cousins, Makhachev has been his teammate and friend since childhood. Khabib boasts a perfect record as a coach this year, with the aforementioned fighters yet to lose with 'The Eagle' in their corner.
At the Bellator 269 media day, Usman rated Khabib highly as a coach and claimed that he could be a better trainer than he was as a fighter. That's saying something given that the former UFC lightweight champion never lost a single fight in his in-cage career:
"Yeah, I believe that Khabib can definitely take that path. And whatever he’s putting his mind to, usually and normally, he achieves that. And in this case, I believe that he can definitely be a better coach than he is a fighter."
Watch Usman Nurmagomedov's interview below:
Khabib Nurmagomedov is unwilling to assume full-time coaching responsibilities
While fans across the globe can't get enough of coach Khabib Nurmagomedov, he doesn't plan to take up coaching professionally. During an interview with RT Sport MMA earlier this year, Khabib Nurmagomedov made it clear that he doesn't want to be a full-time coach.
'The Eagle' said he corners his compatriots in fights because he can give good advice owing to years of experience inside the octagon:
“I don’t plan to be a professional coach. But when my brothers fight, since I have a lot of experience in the octagon, I can give good advice, especially when it’s guys that you grew up with and know well. You know their strengths and weaknesses, how they match up against their opponent. I’ll be doing that in the future. But to go to a gym… I don’t think it’d be right for me to be just a coach. I can do so much more. So, I don’t plan on doing that.” (Translation courtesy: RT Sport MMA)
Watch the interview below:
