Khabib Nurmagomedov put Dagestan on the map as a dominant UFC lightweight champion during his prime. Since then, Dagestan fighters have risen in fame. In the process, he built an enormous fan base of millions worldwide. After his retirement, fans are expecting the ‘Eagle’ to return, but Nurmagomedov believes he has a different mission at hand.
Nurmagomedov retired in his prime as the world’s undefeated and undisputed lightweight champion. Since his retirement, Nurmagomedov has given most of his time coaching his teammates to become successful MMA fighters. In a recent interview, he promised that fans would never feel his absence as other Dagestani fighters would continue their dominance.
I’m helping my brothers to become champions…You guys never gonna miss me because in our team we create champions. You guys gonna always have champion, don’t worry about this
Khabib Nurmagomedov via Official iNews
After his retirement, Khabib Nurmagomedov helped Islam Makhachev to become the UFC lightweight champion by defeating Charles Oliveira. Since then, Makhachev has established a name for himself as the current pound-for-pound king of UFC. The fighter has already defended his belt thrice and has become a fan favorite.
Khabib Nurmagomedov says there’s no chance he’ll ever make a return to the octagon:
“I’m helping my brothers to become champions…
You guys never gonna miss me because in our team we create champions. You guys gonna always have champion, don’t worry about this.”
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) October 1, 2024
Likewise, Umar Nurmagomedov, the cousin of Nurmagomedov, has emerged as the front-runner for the bantamweight championship. The bantamweight fighter has already called out the new champion, Merab Dvalishvili, for a title showdown. It won’t be shocking to see Umar Nurmagomedov win the bantamweight title with Khabib on his side.
The undeniable Dagestani domination in MMA
Apart from Umar Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev, Usman Nurmagomedov is another notable figure on the watch list. Usman, the current lightweight champion of Bellator, intends to replace Islam Makhachev as the UFC champion. Their coach, Khabib Nurmagomedov has put in a lot of work to make them successful. He most recently assisted Belal Muhammad in defeating Leon Edwards at UFC 304 to take the title of welterweight champion.
Khabib, like his father Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, has established himself as a renowned coach. Daniel Cormier, a UFC legend and Nurmagomedov’s close buddy has witnessed the rise of Dagestani fighters firsthand. According to DC, he always knew this would happen and explained the basic reason for this dominance.
Because you know how good they were as wrestlers. What’s gonna happen when these guys come into fighting? We saw Khabib, that was the complete version of a Russian fighter and you see Islam, he possesses all those same skills with the striking. So, what about the next one? They just getting better.
Daniel Cormier via JRE MMA Show #150
Apart from Team Khabib, there are other Dagestani fighters who have also wreaked havoc in their respective weight classes. Magomed Ankalaev and Sharabutdin Magomedov are some of the other names who have the potential to become future UFC champions. It would be interesting to see how this Dagestani domination shapes MMA in the upcoming years.
