Khabib Nurmagomedov arrived at the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA), the place where he trained throughout his UFC career alongside legends like Daniel Cormier, Cain Velasquez, and others.
It would clearly be alluring for several people to see ‘The Eagle’ make its way back to the octagon. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case.
Khabib Nurmagomedov has shown no interest in returning to professional fighting no matter how much money he is offered. Meanwhile, Khabib coached several prodigies after returning from pro-MMA.
Islam Makhachev, Usman Nurmagomedov, and several more Dagestani fighters are currently at the top of various MMA promotions. That said, it will be interesting to see if coach Khabib returns at least.
Makhachev will defend his lightweight title at UFC 294 in a rematch against Charles Oliveira. It is important to note that, Makhachev is currently the UFC lightweight champion, a status that ‘The Eagle’ held till he called off his career.
Prior to Makhachev’s first fight against Oliveria at UFC 280, Khabib Nurmagomedov trained his stable mate. He advised Makhachev on several aspects of the game, including how to represent himself before the media.
Islam Makhachev completely dominated the show and submitted Charles Oliveira to become the new UFC lightweight champion.
He then defended the bet against Alexander Volkanovski in a tough fight. It remains to be seen how the rematch against Charles Oliveira goes down for Islam Makhachev.
Khabib Nurmagomedov retired from coaching but can still be a great help
On his recent trip to AKA, Khabib Nurmagomedov wasn’t spotted meeting either Usman Nurmagomedov (returning at Bellator 300) or Islam Makhachev (UFC 294). Besides, he decided to give up on the role of coaching months back to dedicate more family to his family.
If Khabib Nurmagomedov returns to full-time coaching, it can be of great help to his teammates. Nevertheless, AKA is honed under Javier Mendez, one of the most legendary trainers in MMA. Hence, Khabib’s absence may not also affect them much.
