Watch: Khabib Nurmagomedov passes the torch to cousin Umar after his UFC debut win

Khabib Nurmagomedov's cousin Umar picked up a massive victory against Sergey Morozov on his UFC debut. Following the victory, it seemed like there was a 'passing the torch' moment between the Khabib and Umar.

On his promotional debut at UFC Fight Island 8, Umar Nurmagomedov put up a flawless performance to beat Sergey Morozov via rear-naked choke in the second round of their bantamweight matchup.

Just like Khabib, Umar is also undefeated, and he extended his perfect record to 13-0 following the win against Morozov tonight.

Wake up everyone, fights are on! Another undefeated Nurmagomedov @UmarNmgdv goes to 13-0 @TeamKhabib #InAbuDhabi @visitabudhabi pic.twitter.com/q0FLfq79Ph

— danawhite (@danawhite) January 20, 2021

Following the fight, a visibly elated Khabib was seen carrying his Dagestani traditional headgear - the Papakha - inside the Octagon and putting it on his cousin's head.

In an interview with Mirror.co.uk, Khabib Nurmagomedov explained why he is always seen wearing the papakha before and after his fights inside the Octagon. Nurmagomedov stated that he wears the papakha to his fights because it represents his culture and the history of his hometown, Dagestan.

"It’s an honor for me to represent my traditional headgear around the world, my culture, my history because Dagestan has a very big history, a very big culture. It’s an honor for me because I have opportunity. A lot of people know me and I want people know where I am from and I want to show people Dagestan, Dagestan culture, Dagestan history because they have very big history in Dagestan and if I have opportunity why not?"

Therefore, Khabib handing over his beloved traditional Dagestani headgear to Umar on the latter's debut might symbolize a changing of the guard in the Nurmagomedov family.

It might indicate that Khabib is indeed passing over the torch to his cousin, who kickstarted his UFC career with a bang.

Have we seen the last of Khabib Nurmagomedov inside the Octagon?

One question still being asked by everyone in the fight community is concerning Khabib Nurmagomedov's future in the Octagon - has the undefeated Russian truly retired?

It is a well-known fact that Khabib Nurmagomedov announced his retirement in the aftermath of UFC 254. Since then, the undefeated Russian has always maintained that he is no longer interested in competing professionally.

However, UFC president Dana White claims that we might witness Khabib's return depending on various factors.

According to White, a truly spectacular performance by any of the fighters featuring in the co-main and main events of the upcoming UFC 257 pay-per-view might make the Russian consider making a comeback.

White also said that Khabib Nurmagomedov is impressed by Charles Oliveira and might consider fighting him down the line.