"July will be interesting" - Coach Khabib Nurmagomedov looks forward to his return to cornering
Khabib Nurmagomedov seems to be enjoying his new role as a coach and cornerman. In a recent Instagram post, Khabib revealed that he is looking forward to cornering his fellow Dagestani fighters for their upcoming fights in July 2021. Tagging Islam Makhachev, Abubakar Nurmagomedov, Usman Nurmagomedov and Islam Mamedov, Khabib wrote on Instagram:
"July will be interesting."
Upcoming fights for the teammates of Khabib Nurmagomedov
In all likelihood, 'The Eagle' is referring to the UFC Fight Night card on July 17 which will feature two of his teammates. Islam Makhachev, who is expected to follow in the footsteps of Khabib Nurmagomedov, will face surging lightweight contender Thiago Moises.
Makhachev is riding a spectacular seven-fight win streak with a submission victory over Drew Dober in his most recent appearance at UFC 259. Currently ranked at number eight in the UFC's lightweight division, Makahchev has accused several top-level contenders of ducking him.
Rather than fighting a top-ranked opponent, Islam Makhachev will face the surging Thiago Moises, who is coming off consecutive victories over Alexander Hernandez, Bobby Green, and Michael Johnson.
Although the event is yet to find a venue, another fight featuring a teammate of Khabib Nurmagomedov has also been booked for the card. Khabib's cousin, Abubakar Nurmagomedov, has been paired up against Daniel Rodriguez for a three-round welterweight matchup at UFC Fight Night on July 17.
Abubakar made his UFC debut in 2019, where he lost to David Zawada. 'Manap' picked up his first promotional victory at UFC 260 when he defeated Jared Gooden via unanimous decision.
34-year-old Daniel Rodriguez is also coming off a decision win against veteran Mike Perry at UFC Vegas 23. With the win, Rodriguez bounced back from a controversial decision loss against Nicholas Dalby, dating back to UFC 255 in November 2020.
Khabib Nurmagomedov also revealed that his teammate and PFL veteran, Islam Mamedov, is set to make his debut at Bellator in July. The same card will also reportedly feature the next fight of Khabib's cousin, Usman Nurmagomedov.
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