Javier Mendez shares precious memories with Khabib Nurmagomedov and the late Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov - "Legends live in our hearts"

Javier Mendez recently paid tribute to Khabib Nurmagomedov's late father Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov in a touching Instagram post.

Mendez, the founder of the renowned American Kickboxing Academy, posted a series of photographs of himself alongside the former UFC champion and his father. One of the images shows the trio holding Nurmagomedov’s UFC lightweight title.

In the caption of the post, Mendez wrote:

"Legends live in our hearts and memories for our lifetimes and others before us. Fathers Plan continues to live through those that he affected in so many positive ways 🦅🦅 RIP legend you will never be forgotten 🙏🏽🙏🏽"

Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov guided his son Khabib's career from the start. 'The Eagle' made waves at combat sambo tournaments before breaking through on the Russian regional MMA scene. After putting together a 16-0 record, he was signed to the UFC.

Khabib Nurmagomedov became the UFC lightweight champion at UFC 223 following a unanimous decision win over Al Iaquinta. He subsequently recorded a successful title defense against Conor McGregor. In his second title defense, his father was cageside as the reigning champion defeated Dustin Poirier to retain his belt.

He retired following his win over Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 in 2020, just a few months after his father passed away. 'The Eagle' has now taken on the role previously held by his father, coaching the next generation of Dagestani stars.

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Ali Abdelaziz teases Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson grappling match

The fight between Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov was infamously scheduled and canceled on five different occasions. With Nurmagomedov retired and Ferguson currently amidst a slump, it's all but certain they'll never lock horns inside the octagon.

Interestingly, Nurmagomedov's manager Ali Abdelaziz presented an option to finally make it happen, but on the mat rather than in a cage. Back in December 2021, the Dominance MMA CEO posted on Twitter:

“@TonyFergusonXT what do you think about doing a grappling match with the Eagle in the future? I’m not picking on you, I’m serious. @TeamKhabib”

Ferguson did not publicly respond to Abdelaziz's tweet. 'El Cucuy' is currently focussed on returning to winning ways after losing three straight fights in the octagon. He is scheduled to take on Michael Chandler at UFC 274 next weekend.