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Coach Javier Mendez Confirms Khabib Nurmagomedov as Permanent Cornerman for Islam Makhachev

Kishore R
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Coach Javier Mendez Confirms Khabib Nurmagomedov as Permanent Cornerman for Islam Makhachev

Finally, after a hiatus, Khabib ‘The Eagle’ Nurmagoemedov is back in the UFC. No, we’re not talking about the former undefeated champion coming back to maul fighters inside the cage but as a cornerman on the outside. However, his longtime coach Javier Mendez had no clue of the Russian’s return until he saw him ringside for his protege, Islam Makhachev’s title defense. Still, what he does know is, this time, Khabib is not going back anytime soon.

Speaking to Helen Yee, Mendez revealed the funny conversation he had with the Dagestani –

He (Khabib Nurmagomedov) goes, ‘I’ll be there for Islam (Makhachev) and I’ll be there for some of the top guys’ so he is going to work corner, he never said he was not going to work corners, he said that for right now, he wants to spend time with his family.” 

At UFC 302, lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev added one more name to his outstanding resume – Dustin Poirier. With Khabib in his corner, Makhachev successfully defended his belt against ‘The Diamond’ submitting him in the last round and passing the test triumphantly. While many did not anticipate the Russian to get bloodied up, what surprised his coach, Mendez was the presence of Nurmagomedov in the corner along with the team.

Speaking of which, Mendez relayed that this won’t be the last time we see ‘The Eagle’ as a cornerman. However, he also mentioned that Nurmagomedov needed a little more polishing around the edges as a cornerman.

Coach Javier Mendez says Khabib Nurmagomedov “needs more work”

Despite being one of the best drivers the sport has ever seen, veteran coach, Javier Mendez believes that Khabib is far from being a perfect cornerman and needs some work to polish the mountain man. Speaking to another MMA influencer, The Schmo, Mendez said that he needs to work on his cornering skills, including finding better ways of offering instructions to his fighter.

Furthermore, when talking to creator Helen Yee, Mendez essentially said that Khabib needs to master the corner. According to Mendez, the Russian tends to get a little too amped up, screaming and slamming the table upon seeing his fighter straying off of the game plan. With Mendez’s new admission, we fans will most certainly get to see ‘The Eagle’ in future UFC events alongside his buddy, Islam Makahachev.

Post Edited By:Shraman Mitra

About the author

Kishore R

Kishore R

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Kishore is a MMA journalist at The SportsRush with over two years of experience and more than 2000 articles to his name. While he is a qualified engineer, he truly enjoys his time crafting stories from the world of mixed martial arts. Old testament in his MMA education, Kishore picked up the sport watching the highlights of 1989’s Fight of the Year bout between Roberto Duran and Iran Barkley and has since been hooked to the controlled violence this sport is capable of. Following MMA for almost a decade and a half, Kishore has an advanced understanding of its tactical nature and uses his love for storytelling to express it with great effect. But most of all, he just wants to see Tony Ferguson bounce back and showcase his old swagger - “IT’S TONY TIME!”

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