Khabib Nurmagomedov is often mentioned in debates about the greatest fighter of all time, and now he is turning his attention to shaping the next one.
The former UFC lightweight champion walked away from the sport in 2020 following the death of his father and coach, Abdulmanap. Even with a 29-0 record, some feel he stepped away too early to be the undisputed GOAT.
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Since stepping away from competition, Khabib has focused on coaching out of his father’s gym in Dagestan. He has already helped several fighters reach championship level, including Islam Makhachev, who currently sits atop the UFC pound-for-pound rankings. But now it looks like he sees even greater potential in his cousin.
Khabib Nurmagomedov backs cousin Usman to become the greatest in MMA history
Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images
As Makhachev gets older, a new chapter in Khabib’s strategy has begun, marked by Makhachev vacating the lightweight belt to win a second title at a higher weight class. Now, his cousin, Usman Nurmagomedov, the current PFL champion, will defend his title against Alfie Davis on Saturday.
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Usman’s two battles with Paul Hughes last year helped him step out from under the shadow of his famous teammates. Working alongside renowned trainer Javier Mendez, there are big plans being put together for his future.
“Our goal is to make him the best fighter pound for pound, and the best to ever do this. Me and Coach Jav, and when my father was alive, he was working very hard and he believed he could be the best to ever do this,” the UFC legend said.
“Now me and Coach Jav work morning and night not to make him not just champion who can defend title six times, our goal is to make him best fighter pound for pound and best to do this of all time. He has very big potential for this.”
Khabib gained valuable insight into Usman during Hughes clashes
Fans who follow the sport closely have always been well aware of what Usman brings to the table. But it was his two tightly contested wins over Paul Hughes last year that really put him on the map, earning wider recognition even outside MMA circles. His cousin saw real progress in the rematch.
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There is a debate among some fans over those results, with some believing Hughes edged both fights. The first meeting in January ended with a narrow Majority Decision win for Usman, but by the time they met again in October, he left less doubt by securing a Unanimous Decision.
‘The Eagle’ revealed: “Honestly, I learnt a lot about Usman because of his last two fights. In the first fight it showed a couple weaknesses of Usman. And second fight, he fixed it. He improved mentally, he improved physically. He improved his skills, and I learned a lot about him.”
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