Khabib Nurmagomedov is set to walk away from the sport of mixed martial arts as he will reportedly retire from coaching to focus on his family. Henry Cejudo recently shared that ‘The Eagle’s decision has increased the respect he has for the UFC Hall of Famer.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, the former double champ stated:
“I actually respect Khabib more now because I get it, and I know the amount of travel and how he gets tugged and pulled, and I don’t think people really understand the level of where he’s at…Watching my daughter grow and not having the ability to see her walk or start talking, you just know where your times goes.”
Cejudo continued by congratulating Nurmagomedov on his retirement:
“I’m just super happy for Khabib to really recognize and realize that because at the end of the day, he’s accomplished more than what the average Joe would ever do… From the bottom of my heart, Khabib, I understand you, I believe you, and congratulations on your new endeavors because family is everything.”
Nurmagomedov has three young children who are beginning to enter their formative years; they are aged three, five, and seven. It remains to be seen how his decision will affect the fighters currently under his wing.
Javier Mendez discusses how Khabib Nurmagomedov’s retirement will impact UFC 284
Khabib Nurmagomedov’s close friend and training partner Islam Makhachev will have an opportunity to become the UFC’s No.1-ranked pound-for-pound fighter at UFC 284 when he faces Alexander Volkanovski.
American Kickboxing Academy head coach Javier Mendez detailed why he is okay with the UFC Hall of Famer not being in the lightweight champions’ corner.
During a recent appearance on Submission Radio, Mendez stated:
“Not having Khabib there, for me – it’s a great thing to have him there and I want him there, but I’m okay with him not being there either because Islam Makhachev is such a great student of the game and he knows what he needs to do. When you formulate the game plan and give him the game plan, he goes out and executes. He’s really the best at that because Islam Makhachev can do everything.”
Mendez, who has coached Makhachev since the lightweight champion joined the UFC in 2015, noted that he has had success without Nurmagomedov in his corner. It remains to be seen if Khabib’s decision will impact his close friend in his first title defense.
Watch Javier Mendez discuss how Khabib Nurmagomedov’s retirement will impact UFC 284 below (starting at the 8:36 mark):