Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s team has enjoyed tremendous success in the sport of mixed martial arts in recent years.
While Nurmagomedov is the most notable member, his teammates have found success following his retirement. Islam Makhachev became the UFC lightweight champion at UFC 280 last month, while Usman Nurmagomedov, Khabib’s cousin, recently became the Bellator lightweight champion at Bellator 288.
Nurmagomedov retired from mixed martial arts with a 29-0 record. Usman Nurmagomedov and his older brother, Umar Nurmagomedov, the No.12-ranked bantamweight in the UFC, are also both undefeated. The former is 16-0, while the latter is 15-0. Islam Makhachev holds a record of 23-1 with his only loss coming over seven years ago.
Overall, Team Khabib have combined for a staggering 142 wins compared to just 11 losses and three draws.
Khabib Nurmagomedov shares his prediction for next title contender from his team
The list of champions on Team Khabib has been growing lately. Speaking to UFC Russia ahead of Islam Makhachev’s title fight victory at UFC 280, Khabib Nurmagomedov shared his prediction for the next title contender from his team.
The UFC Hall of Famer chose to heap praise on some of his team’s lesser-known members. In a subtitled video, he said:
“There are a few guys. The way I see it at 135 pounds, it’s Renat Khavalov. He’s doing well… A guy with huge potential who had five fights so far is Amru Magomedov. He strikes very well, wrestles very well. He’s one year younger than Usman [Nurmagomedov]. I think in a year-and-a-half, he’ll be on the horizon.”
The former UFC lightweight champion added:
“We got Shaken Alkhasov. He’s 7-0. He recently submitted a strong guy in the first round. We’ve got 8-10 young, strong guys and most importantly, they’re all hungry. I watch them, talk to them. They all have that spark in their eyes. I sometimes see myself in them. The new generation is growing strong.”
Islam Makhachev and Usman Nurmagomedov have recently claimed titles, and Umar Nurmagomedov is seemingly on his way to title contention. If the unheralded fighters listed by Khabib Nurmagomedov can join the trio that is currently making waves in the MMA world, it could be a long reign of dominance for the Dagestani juggernauts.
Watch Khabib Nurmagomedov discuss his teammates (28:16) below: