Khabib Nurmagomedov had previously retired back in October of last year after defeating Justin Gaethje at UFC 254. It turns out he is still active in the gym. Dagestani’s love for the sport has led him to improve the skills of his teammates at the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) gym. This was recently confirmed by Javier Mendez, the head coach at AKA. Holly Holm Swimsuit Photo Stuns UFC 265 Fans
Javier Mendez talks about Khabib Nurmagomedov
Speaking to Mike Swick on the Real Quick With Mike Swick Podcast, Mendez said the only reason Nurmagomedov is training at AKA is to get accustomed to his teammates with “world-class” grappling:
Khabib is still grappling with these guys and whooping up on everybody. He is whooping up on all these guys. He goes, ‘coach, how are these guys gonna know what it feels like to go with a world-class grappler, and fight and grapple with them. And I said, ‘you know Khabib, you are 100 percent correct. They are gonna know what it feels like to be going up against the best ever and you’re the best ever at your weight, so yeah, it would be best for you to grapple with them’. So that’s why Khabib grapples with these guys, so he wants these guys to get a feel for what it’s like,” said Mendez.
The UFC President Dana White tried had tried for months to bring ‘The Eagle’ out of retirement, back to the octagon but was unsuccessful. In March this year, the UFC president confirmed that Nurmagomedov has no interest in returning to the octagon.
