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Following Islam Makhachev's impressive title defense at UFC 294, former teammate and coach Khabib Nurmagomedov was quick to congratulate his friend on social media. However, Nurmagomedov also expressed slight annoyance towards fans regarding his lack of presence in the champion's corner.
In an Instagram post, Nurmagomedov re-stated his decision to leave the sport of mixed martial arts completely and said:
"I ask you to accept my decision the same way as my brothers, friends and sparring partners did."
Nurmagomedov initially announced he would no longer corner fighters as frequently prior to the first fight between Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski. In his post following UFC 294, he appeared to be frustrated with questions regarding his coaching stance.
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As many fans know, Islam Makhachev began his MMA journey under the guidance of Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, the father and head coach of Khabib. Following Abdulmanap's tragic death in 2020, Khabib retired from fighting and briefly began a coaching-heavy approach with younger fighters at his gym. However, Khabib left MMA completely in 2023, stating that the time required to coach and work the corner was taking too much away from his family.
While Khabib Nurmagomedov has never said that he will not ever return to MMA in any capacity, it seems unlikely. However, Islam Makhachev created a recent topic of conversation with an Instagram post with a video of the two Dagestanis training together. In the caption, Makhachev said:
"Almost three years have passed since Khabib finished his career, and he never misses a workout. I can say with confidence: if he wants, [beating Sean Strickland] won't be difficult for him."
The content of Makhachev's statement does not mean a lot, but it does represent the bond between him and Khabib Nurmagomedov. Nurmagomedov's continued support of all young fighters who train with him has proven successful even if he retired from coaching.
