Following his victory in the third defense of his Lightweight championship against Justin Gaethje at UFC 254, legendary fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov declared an end to his career. Afterward, he took up the mantle left vacant by his deceased father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, and started mentoring both his compatriots and personal trainees.
At UFC 272 in March 2022, Nurmagomedov pushed his teammate Tagir Ulanbekov into a difficult spot, yet seemed to assist him through the challenge. Ulanbekov has since disclosed the guidance ‘The Eagle’ provided to manage an unlawful action by his adversary, Tim Elliott.
Ulanbekov Discloses Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Guidance on Handling Glove Grabs at UFC 272
Nurmagomedov was in the corner alongside reigning lightweight champion Islam Makhachev and coach Javier Mendez for Ulanbekov’s fight against Elliott. The back-and-forth, entertaining affair went to the judges, who scored it in favor of The American, handing the 33-year-old a unanimous decision loss.
In a
recent documentary
Red Corner MMA reported that Ulanbekov discussed the bout and claimed the American continuously inserted his fingers into his gloves to impede his movement. Additionally, he mentioned Nurmagomedov’s advice on managing the circumstance.
Tim simply inserted his fingers into my gloves, and I couldn’t retrieve mine. As I attempted to free myself, he started hitting me. I wasn’t able to tackle him,” explained Ulanbekov. “I called out to Khabib, ‘He has hold of my glove!’ He responded, ‘Take his glove as well, hit him back.’
Take a look at Tagir Ulanbekov’s remarks about Khabib Nurmagomedov below:
In his most recent UFC outing, Ulanbekov took on Clayton Carpenter at UFC 311 and secured a comfortable unanimous decision victory. He is now on a three-fight winning streak and scheduled to face Kyoji Horiguchi in June.
Khabib Nurmagomedov on the Difficulties of Training
Talking with Brett Okamoto
ESPN MMA
,’The Eagle’ pointed out that coaching is more challenging than competing inside the Octagon. He emphasized the reality that this is often overlooked.
A coach can merely provide guidance.
, but in the end, it’s up to the fighters.
“I didn’t know it was going to be as hard as this,” Nurmagomedov said. “When I was fighting, it was easier for me because I was preparing myself when I went to the cage. When I go to the cage, I was fighting, I was controlling everything that was happening.”
But this lifestyle, much like being involved in coaching, differs greatly from the competitive aspect,” Nurmagomedov went on. “All I can do now is offer guidance to my teammates; I’m unable to participate directly myself. This isn’t how things have been throughout my career. Hence, it feels somewhat challenging for me.
Recently, the ex-UFC Lightweight Champion was spotted working from the corner during UFC 311 in January, as he supported three fighters: Makhashev, Ulanbekov, along with his relative, Umar Nurmagomedov, who were all part of the event.
