American Kickboxing Academy coach Javier Mendez clarified details surrounding Khabib Nurmagomedov’s retirement from coaching, suggesting that ‘The Eagle’ never actually said he was walking away from the sport altogether.
After going 29-0, capturing the UFC lightweight world championship along the way, Nurmagomedov retired from the sport in 2020 following a title defense against perennial contender Justin Gaethje. Since then, ‘The Eagle’ has continued to be a constant presence at events while cornering fighters, including reigning 155-pound titleholder Islam Makhachev. However, fans were thrown another curveball when Nurmagomedov seemingly announced his retirement from coaching and was noticeably absent during Makhachev’s UFC 284 superfight with featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski.