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Khabib Nurmagomedov coach Javier Mendez couldn’t help but get excited as he shared what the Russian star told him after retiring at UFC 254 last weekend.
Nurmagomedov successfully defended the UFC lightweight championship with a round two submission win over Justin Gaethje, and then proceeded to call it career during the post-fight interview.
The 32-year-old retired with an unblemished 29-0 professional MMA record that included three successful UFC title defenses.
Mendez, who has been Khabib Nurmagomedov’s coach at AKA since 2012, revealed that the two shared a special moment after “The Eagle” announced his retirement.
“I hug him, and then he said ‘I love you, coach. Thanks for everything. ‘”Shared Mendez in an episode of Submission Radio.
When asked what the gesture meant, Mendez began to cry.
“Well, it made me cry, so obviously it means everything,” he said, with a crack in his voice.
Mendez also shared his first impressions of Khabib Nurmagomedov. He said that even in 2012 he already knew that Russian was destined for greatness.
“I knew he would become a champion, but I didn’t know he would be with me, to be honest with you, because how can you know that when, in 2012, he lives in Russia, it was very difficult for him to live in San Jose.”
“Super, super expensive, he wasn’t like he was rich or anything, he was barely struggling to make it,” Mendez added.
More than anything else, however, Mendez noted that Khabib Nurmagomedov was loyal.
“He was loyal, loyalty was number one with him, and he stayed with me out of love and loyalty and the great training he received, the companionship and friendship he gained. You can do it between him and Daniel Cormier. ”
“The whole team loves him, but he and Daniel have a special bond, as you can see by looking, you can see that there is a special bond between him and Daniel. They are brothers for life.”
Mendez also shared a touching tribute to his precious light pupil on Instagram:
Will Khabib Nurmagomedov become AKA coach?
Although Khabib Nurmagomedov may have left a mark on his MMA career, he is unlikely to completely move away from the sport. In fact, he may already have a gig as a coach on his home team, the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, California.
In a video posted by AKA coach Javier Mendez on Instagram, Khabib Nurmagomedov hinted that he would be back to help the next generation of AKA stars.
“We will help all the young people of the younger generation. Coach. We will be back on top very soon, ”Nurmagomedov said.
“Will you come back as a coach with me? Is that what you gonna do? “Mendez replied.
“I will help you, as I always have. How many years, coach? “Khabib asked.
“Many years and many more!” Mendez concluded emphatically.
If the carefree swap is any indication of things to come at AKA, then they should be exciting times in San Jose.
Published October 27, 2020 15:18 IST
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