Khabib Nurmagomedov stepping away from coaching ahead of Islam Makhachev's title defense at UFC 284
Nurmagomedov retired in the prime of his fighting career and his future as a coach seems to be up in the air
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Khabib Nurmagomedov is taking some time off. Nurmagomedov posted on Instagram last week a cryptic message that seemed to indicate he was leaving his role as a coach for many rising stars, including recently crowned lightweight champions Islam Makhachev in UFC and Usman Nurmagomedov in Bellator.
American Kickboxing Academy coach Javier Mendez, who trained Nurmagomedov and coached alongside him, told Yahoo Sports that Nurmagomedov plans to retire in an effort to spend more time with his daughter and two sons.
"He just doesn't want to miss being a father," Mendez said. "He talked to me about three weeks ago and told me of his plan and said he planned to talk to the team and inform them of his decision. He's doing this for the right reasons. He's a family man and he simply wants to spend more time with his family."
However, it is unclear yet what Nurmagomedov plans to do and his future role with Eagle FC.
Mendes is uncertain if Nurmagomedov will continue coaching Makhachev ahead of the UFC lightweight champion's title defense against featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284 in February. Makhachev is currently in Dagestan and had been training with Nurmagomedov. Makhachev and Mendez are not scheduled to meet until the two parties fly to Perth, Australia on Jan. 20.
"Concluding the year," Nurmagomedov wrote on Instagram, according to the social media website's auto-translation. "The year certainly turned out to be very busy and successful. Take care of yourself, brothers. I hope my decision is only for the best, a big hug to you all. Thank you, you were a big reason for my success in sports."
Nurmagomedov retired from active competition at the height of his career. Nurmagomedov submitted Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 to reclaim the UFC lightweight championship and improve to an unparalleled 29-0. Nurmagomedov retired, despite pressure from UFC president Dana White to continue fighting, out of respect for the passing of his father and coach, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.
