Two of the final disciples of Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov headline UFC 311 on Saturday night. Islam Makhachev and Umar Nurmagomedov tip the marquee in separate title bouts in Los Angeles, under the guidance of Abdulmanap’s son, Khabib, the former UFC lightweight champion and Hall of Famer. According to Khabib, this was always part of the plan and his father’s vision.
Abdulmanap and American Kickboxing Academy founder Javier Mendez were critical to Khabib’s success. Their tutelage empowered Khabib to become UFC lightweight champion as Abdulmanap partnered with Mendez to bring many of his fighters stateside to prepare for UFC events. Abdulmanap’s untimely death spurred Khabib to retire in 2020. By retiring, Khabib (29-0) accomplished something that no other mixed martial arts great managed to do: walk away undefeated.
Khabib has since turned his attention to coaching, helping Makhachev, his cousins and other teammates flourish. As much as Mendez considers Abdulmanap and their pupils family, he says it’s appropriate that a son takes over for their father.
“He’s taken the team to another level because he’s the greatest of all time, in my opinion,” Mendez told CBS Sports, crediting Khabib’s more hands-on approach to coaching relative to Abdulmanap or Mendez. “He received great tutelage from his father since he was a young boy.”
Umar challenges Merab Dvalishvili for the UFC bantamweight title at UFC 311. If successful, Umar will become the second Nurmagomedov to hoist UFC gold over their head. It validates not only Umar’s hard work but that of his cousin Khabib and uncle Abdulmanap.
“It’s going to be a historic moment,” Umar Nurmagomedov told CBS Sports. “It’s huge history. I’m happy to be one of his soldiers. He is a great man. I’m very lucky to have a brother like him.”
There is no envy among teammates. The desire to support each other’s success rivals personal ambitions. Many camps claim to be like family. Khabib’s team is family. They’re siblings, cousins and childhood best friends. Caring is woven deeply into the team’s genetic makeup and resonates in everything they do.
“These guys grew up as kids together,” Mendez said. “They were little boys training together, aspiring to be the same. The father had a plan for all of them to rule. For Khabib to rule, then Islam to come and the others follow suit. That’s exactly what’s happening. It’s the biggest honor for them to be in that position.”
“We have the best team and the best coaches,” UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev told CBS Sports. “The most important thing is we all wish each other the best. We are here to help each other. We have more than 20 people here.
“Not for money. Not for nothing. Just to help our brothers and friends to be champion. If someone from this team needs something, I’m always going to be close. I’m always going to help these guys. This is the number one most important thing.”
Khabib’s duty to his fighting family conflicts with his priorities as a father and husband. The Hall of Famer has been stateside throughout the start of the new year to help Makhachev, Umar and Tagir Ulanbekov prepare for their UFC 311 fights.
“To be honest, no,” Nurmagomedov told ESPN when asked if it’s how he wanted to spend New Year’s Day. “I planned to be with my family and kids. But then everything changed.”
Coaching is Khabib’s obligation, not his passion. He and his father might differ in that respect. Khabib’s driving force as a trainer is to reciprocate the effort his teammates put into him. One could easily mistake Khabib’s labored attitude towards coaching as non-committal. It’s quite the opposite. The principles of loyalty passed down by his dad implore him to be the best coach he can.
“I have to [coach],” Khabib said. “The only one responsibility I want to do outside of coaching is spending time with my kids. At the same time, I have to share my knowledge with my brothers. When I was on the way to becoming champion, on the way to defending my titles, they were with me. Umar, Islam, Tagir. All these brothers. Usman. They were helping me. They were my sparring partners and friends.
“I didn’t know it would be so hard… This coaching life is completely different from fighting life. I can only talk. I can’t do anything. I can only give my brothers advice and stay outside the cage. This is not what I’ve done all my life. This is why it’s a little bit of a headache for me.”
Abdulmanap’s plan was for Khabib to become UFC champion before ceding control to Makhachev. The next step is to usher in a new generation of family and friends. A dynasty powerful enough to rule all.
“I call it ‘father’s plan’ so that people never forget how great Abdulmanap was as a leader, as a humanitarian, and as a family man,” Mendez said. “This man is the most humble, beautiful man I’ve ever met. The most beautiful coach I’ve ever met. Now what he was working on all these years is coming to fruition.”
“The young generation is upcoming and will take all the belts in the UFC,” Umar said.
The Nurmagomedov clan’s success extends beyond the UFC’s walls. Usman Nurmagomedov currently reigns as Bellator lightweight champion in the Professional Fighters League. While Usman is still infatuated with his late uncle’s teachings, he acknowledges Khabib as a worthy successor.
“Khabib, he doesn’t give us any recovery [time during training], he all the time just pushes,” the 26-year-old Usman told CBS Sports. “But Uncle Manap? He was so smart, man. Khabib is smart, too. He is really smart. He has everything like his father. Well, not everything. There are little small things he doesn’t have.
“Abdulmanap, uncle, when he said something, it’s [the truth]. For example, about Jon Jones, [Abdulmanap] said he could beat all the top five in heavyweight. Now? Jon Jones is the champion at heavyweight. And he said this in 2016. In 2016, he said that in 2025, we will have Jon Jones as champion at heavyweight in UFC.”
Khabib prepares his pupils to further his young legacy as a coach and exceed his legacy as a fighter. A good coach, much like a good father, would want the next generation to eclipse him. Makhachev will break the lightweight title defense record he shares with Khabib, B.J. Penn, Frankie Edgar and Benson Henderson if he beats Arman Tsarukyan on Saturday.
“Khabib would want him to break the record,” Mendez said. “He would love for him to break the record. He would want nothing but the best for his brother. He wants him to do more than just break it. He wants him to shatter it.”
“Khabib is here to help us be better than him,” Makhachev said before humbly adding, “He is 29-0. This is the biggest record I cannot beat because I have one loss.”
Umar has lofty ambitions to carry the Nurmagomedov name forward. A win over Dvalishvili on Saturday improves Umar’s professional MMA record to 19-0. Mendez believes Umar can tie Khabib’s 29-0 undefeated record, a difficult proposition considering Umar must win 10 additional fights at the highest level.
“I’m just 29 [years old],’ Umar said. “Why not?”
Khabib’s impact on MMA is undeniable no matter where you put him on the all-time pecking order. But not all fighters make for great coaches and not all coaches make for great fighters. Mendez believes Khabib is an exception. If Khabib continues to build on the standards of love and commitment his dad set, he could lead the team in completing Abdulmanap’s plan. Perhaps then we’ll begin to see Khabib’s plan come to light, whether he’s setting new goals as a coach or living a quiet life as a dad.
“He’s the greatest of all time, his father is the greatest coach of all time in my opinion, and I added my two cents,” Mendez said. “When you have that combination, what more can you ask for?
“If he continues this task of loving training his guys, Khabib Nurmagomedov will become the greatest coach of all time.”
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