Islam Makhachev Opens His Heart to Speak About Missing Khabib's Father

A. Nurmagomedov (left) was responsible for the successes of I. Makhachev (center) and K. Nurmagomedov. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram

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The UFC's top-ranked pound-for-pound fighter, Islam Makhachev, is preparing to defend his welterweight title (up to 77,1 kg) and makes no secret of the fact that his success as an MMA fighter stems from years of training under the tutelage of Abuldmanap Nurmagomedov, Khabib's father, who passed away in 2020 amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. However, anyone who thinks the relationship between the two was limited to training is mistaken. In an interview with 'prostikulaki', the fighter was sincere in admitting how much he misses his former coach.

When asked about how much he misses Abdulmanap, Makhachev made it clear that it wasn't related to training. Because he saw the late coach as a father figure, his greatest wish was to be able to enjoy his company on ordinary days.

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“This is not about training at all. I would gladly go with him to the stable to spend a normal day with him. If he were with us today, we would spend a lot of time together in the stable. He also loved a normal life and escaping the hustle and bustle of the city,” said Islam, a rural landowner.

Islam Makhachev reveals that the thing he misses most about Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov isn't the training, but the time they spent together.

“Not about training at all. I would gladly go with him to the stable to spend an ordinary day with him. If he were with us today, we would… pic.twitter.com/7KmqsegcNe

— FREAK.MMA (@FREAKMMA1) July 20, 2026

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Khabib is now responsible for Makhachev's career.

Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev are friends and training partners. Photo: Reproduction.

Deeply shaken by his father's death, Khabib hung up his gloves after submitting Justin Gaethje in 2020. Since then, the Russian has dedicated himself to preparing athletes from the Dagestan Clan, occupying the place previously held by Abuldmanap. Besides Makhachev in the UFC, names like Usman Nurmagomedov and Gahdzi Rabadanov have reached the top of Bellator and PFL.

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