"Create your own champions"– Josh Thomson claims Khabib Nurmagomedov must carry his father's legacy forward by taking up the responsibility of creating future champions from Dagestan
Khabib Nurmagomedov is now the coach of the UFC lightweight world champion following Islam Makhachev's victory against Charles Oliveria at UFC 280.
'The Eagle' was present to witness the dream of his late father Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov come true, who envisioned Makhachev winning the lightweight belt once his son's career had finished.
Since his father's passing, 'The Eagle' has become a full-time coach at American Kickboxing Academy, where his camp has been based for years. Nurmagomedov has filled Abdulmanap's shoes as a mentor and coach to Makhachev and other fighters at AKA.
Fellow AKA teammate and former MMA fighter Josh Thomson is the co-host of a popular MMA podcast, Weighing In, alongside John McCarthy. On the latest episode of the show, Thomson spoke about how important it is for 'The Eagle' to continue his father's legacy:
"Khabib now has a lot of responsibility on his shoulders to do what his father did. Create your own champions. Islam may be champion 'cause Khabib helped him get the rest of the way, but his dad built him. I think Khabib is going to take that on his shoulders now."
Watch the video below from 4:50:
Khabib Nurmagomedov will no doubt be happy to have completed his father's vision. 'The Eagle' will also hope that Islam Makhachev is able to continue his dominance for years to come like he did.
Khabib Nurmagomedov will only give Islam Makhachev two weeks off before resuming training
Khabib Nurmagomedov has been part of the coaching staff at AKA since his retirement in 2020.
'The Eagle' was a member of Islam Makhachev's corner at UFC 280, and was visibly elated at the success of his teammate and longtime friend. Having grown up together and trained since they were children, the pair share a close bond.
However, Nurmagomedov is only giving his "student" two weeks off following his first title victory. After that, "coach Khabib" wants Makhachev back in the gym. 'The Eagle' spoke to Adam Catterall of BT Sport following the fight about how long Makhachev's lay-off will last:
"Maximum two weeks, like middle of December he has to be at the gym if you want to become pound-for-pound [number 1]. If you just want to be the champion, okay you can come back in January."
Watch the video below from 3:45: