PERTH, Australia – Khabib Nurmagomedov isn’t physically with Islam Makhachev in the land Down Under this week, but he’s there with him in spirit, and also electronically.
Just because UFC Hall of Famer Nurmagomedov recently announced he was stepping away from coaching, that doesn’t mean he’s completely detached from his fighters.
“He still help me. He just stop his traveling, and that’s it,” Makhachev told reporters during UFC 284 media day. “But every morning he send me message, check my weight, ask me how I’m training, what I did. We’re always on the phone.”
Nurmagomedov retired from competition undefeated after he beat Justin Gaethje to retain the lightweight title in October 2020. But it maybe hadn’t felt like much of a retirement for Nurmagomedov given how involved in MMA he remained as the face of Eagle FC and coaching his star pupils such as Makhachev and Bellator champion Usman Nurmagomedov.
Nurmagomedov especially has found great success as a coach, winning MMA Junkie’s 2022 Co-Coach of the Year award along with Javier Mendez. But the reality is that Makhachev is moving forward without Nurmagomedov completely by his side, starting with the biggest fight of his career Saturday as he attempts to make his first title defense against featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski in the UFC 284 headliner at RAC Arena.
Makhachev, who’s riding an 11-fight winning streak, understands where Nurmagomedov is coming from and is at peace with his decision.
“He said, ‘Hey, guys, when I travel with you, all the media, all the stuff focus on me. And, like, not just this one, I leave from the camp, from the traveling, because you have to make your legacy,'” Makhachev said. “Of course when Khabib is my corner, it means a lot to me, because inside fight he give me good advice always. But I understand his decision, because when I retire I want to stay with family – with my kids, mother, father. I want to give them some time.
“How many months did (Khabib) travel in 2022? He say he travel 10 months. ‘But I told my mother when I retired I’m gonna stay home with kids, with family.’ But he was still traveling.”
That’s not the case this week, and for the first time we’ll find out how that affects Makhachev.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 284.
