Javier Mendez thinks [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] will not only be remembered as a great fighter, but as a great coach.
Nurmagomedov has assumed a coaching role since hanging up his gloves in October 2020 and will be in Islam Makhachev, Zubaira Tukhugov and Belal Muhammad’s corners at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi.
But American Kickboxing Academy head honcho Mendez, who helped coach Nurmagomedov throughout his career, says “The Eagle” already has been training fighters long before he retired.
“He’s been coaching forever,” Mendez said on the UFC Unfiltered podcast. “Even when he was fighting, he was coaching. He’d be sparring through these five rounds and all of a sudden he’d be sitting there with us coaching the guys. He’s been doing that forever. His father had trained him from such a young age to take the responsibility over – as a fighter, as a coach – and he’s taking over his father’s footsteps.
“He’s learned from me, he’s learned from his father – mostly his father. But to me, he’s on track – in my opinion because of his age, what he’s doing, the camp I see, the fighters he has – he’s on track to being the greatest coach of all time, in my opinion. I see it. I see the writing on the wall.”
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Nurmagomedov has an opportunity to help corner his first world champion when Makhachev faces Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight title in the main event of UFC 280 on Oct. 22 at Etihad Arena.