Khabib Nurmagomedov is continuing to follow in the footsteps of his father.
Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, the father and head coach of Khabib, passed away in 2020 at the age of 57. The legendary MMA coach created a generation of dominant Russian fighters, including his son and Islam Makhachev. Now that ‘The Eagle’ is retired from fighting, he has taken over Nurmagomedov Gym, where his father’s policies are still in place.
The YouTube account Smesh MMA recently posted a video showing a Nurmagomedov Gym instructor disciplining fighters for not getting a haircut. The caption read:
“In khabib Nurmagomedov ‘s Gym “Nurmagomedov School” athletes get punsihed for the wrong hair cut! 😆 Nurmagomedov school is a project started by the lte Abdulmanaap Nurmagomedov and it is the Gym where Islam Makhachev, Umar Nurmagomedov, Usman Nurmagomedov, Abubakr Nurmagomedov and all their team trains in Makhachkala Dagestan.”
‘The Eagle’ has picked up right where his father left off as a coach. He guided Makhachev, the UFC lightweight champion, and Usman Nurmagomedov, the Bellator lightweight champion, to world title wins in 2022. Khabib might be a better coach than a fighter, which would be shocking.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/bvJ7aRwl_jQ
Fans react to Khabib Nurmagomedov following his father’s haircut policy
The image of people at Khabib Nurmagomedov’s gym being hit with a bamboo stick might be seen as barbaric by other cultures. With that said, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov’s success as an MMA coach was not by mistake. He bred champions through hard work and determination. MMA fans had various reactions to the YouTube video above, with some saying:
“Based on how soft that caning was I assume its less about physical pain and more about the mental and emotional shame”
“I think i watch islam said ” Abdulmanap always mad if his student has long hair. Cus it can direct sweat to your eyes and blur yoir vision. Its can give big impact on fight”
“Karens: this is abuse! Students: this is #1 bullshit”
“As abdulmanap says cut your hair short so it wont bother your eyes during training and he said nobody will like you with long hair. They will like you if you have BELT.”
“This is how you make committed students! You can’t fight if you care about a haircut”
The Russian success in MMA worldwide is undeniable. Some thought ‘The Eagle’ retiring from MMA would be the end of an era, but Islam Makhachev quickly replaced him. Meanwhile, Usman Nurmagomedov has taken over the Bellator lightweight title and Umar Nurmagomedov is making a splash in the UFC bantamweight division. Combat Sambo is slowly emerging as the premier MMA base.
Incredible scenes 😍
Islam Makhachev is crowned the UFC Lightweight Champion as Khabib Nurmagomedov delivers a lap of honour with him on his shoulders 🏆@makhachevmma 🤝 @teamkhabib#UFC280 | BT Sport Box Office pic.twitter.com/BusQX3Wsaw
— UFC on TNT Sports (@ufcontnt) October 22, 2022
