Daniel Cormier believes Khabib Nurmagomedov walking away from coaching to spend time with his family is just another example of what makes the UFC Hall of Famer special.
The MMA community was sent into a frenzy when ‘The Eagle’ posted on Instagram indicating that he was once again walking away from the fight game, this time as a coach and mentor to the next generation of Dagestani world champions. The news was seemingly confirmed by American Kickboxing Academy coach Javier Mendez despite some initial skepticism.
According to Cormier, Khabib’s Decision to Focus More on His Family Reveals His ‘Special’ Nature
Fellow UFC Hall of Fame inductee Daniel Cormier shared his thoughts on Nurmagomedov’s latest retirement alongside Ryan Clark on a recent episode of the pair’s ESPN program, DC & RC.
“When Khabib walks away from coaching, I think about this: I think about time spent with family and how important it is,” Cormier said. “And Ryan Clark, I think about why you don’t do commentary. Because you refuse to miss one of your son’s football games. I think Khabib’s there. He’s at a point in his life where he doesn’t want to miss the important moments and certain jobs take you away from the important moments. Khabib is a family guy who is not willing to give that away anymore.
“So he wants to spend more time with his children. With his wife. With his mother. We obviously know how important his mom is to him, being that she is the reason that he walked away from the sport. So for me, it’s another instance in which Khabib shows why he’s so special.”
Khabib Nurmagomedov’s manager has now confirmed, that Khabib will not be cornering Islam Makhachev at UFC 284. pic.twitter.com/SsfA265auA
— Full Combat (@fullcombatoff) January 9, 2023
As a professional fighter, Khabib Nurmagomedov went 29-0 before retiring as the UFC lightweight champion. Since then, ‘The Eagle’ has coached Islam Makhachev to the 155-pound title inside the Octagon while also guiding his cousin Usman Nurmagomedov to the lightweight title under the Bellator banner. He has also worked with Usman’s older brother Umar Nurmagomedov, a UFC bantamweight with an undefeated record of 15-0.
Concluding their discussion of Nurmagomedov’s retirement from coaching, Ryan Clark shared his thoughts on the subject, calling ‘The Eagle’ one of the more unique individuals in the history of sports.
“It is truly remarkable what he was as a fighter and what he became as a coach and even on top of that now,” Clark said. “What he is and has constantly shown us he is as a man. As a human. As a father and I think that all of those things wrapped up into one make him truly one of the more unique individuals we’ve ever seen in sports and also one of the most special individuals we’ve ever seen. And we know whatever he puts his mind to, he’s going to be extremely successful.”
