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"Really something special" - Cris Cyborg praises Khabib Nurmagomedov's cornering and coaching at Bellator 263

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Cris Cyborg (right) praised Khabib Nurmagomedov's (left) Bellator 263 cornering [Left Image Courtesy: @khabib_nurmagomedov on Instagram]
Cris Cyborg (right) praised Khabib Nurmagomedov's (left) Bellator 263 cornering [Left Image Courtesy: @khabib_nurmagomedov on Instagram]

Following his retirement from active competition in mixed martial arts, Khabib Nurmagomedov has donned the coaching hat for his teammates and training partners.

Team Khabib had three fighters competing at Bellator 263 that went down on Saturday, July 31 - Gadzhi Rabadanov, Islam Mamedov, and Khabib's cousin Usman Nurmagomedov. 'The Eagle' cornered the three fighters, and all of them emerged victorious at the event.

Former UFC and current Bellator women's featherweight champion Cris Cyborg took to Twitter following the event to praise Khabib Nurmagomedov's coaching and cornering of his team.

"Watching @TeamKhabib coach his team is really something special!" Cris Cyborg wrote.

Ali Abdelaziz, who acts as the manager for Khabib Nurmagomedov and his team, tweeted "Thank you" in response.

Khabib Nurmagomedov was 4-0 as a coach before tonight's Bellator event and now stands 7-0, which makes him a frontrunner for 2021's Coach of the Year.

Khabib Nurmagomedov is always seen hyped up and excited whenever he is at cageside for one of his teammate's fights.

Watch Khabib Nurmagomedov cornering his other cousin Umar Nurmagomedov, who is in the UFC:

Even when he is not officially cornering, Khabib Nurmagomedov is heard yelling instructions, which is what happened in Islam Makhachev's fight against Arman Tsarukyan.

Khabib Nurmagomedov displayed ultimate sportsman spirit at Bellator 263

Khabib Nurmagomedov is not only known for being an undefeated champion but also for the class and sophistication with which he treats everyone.

After Gadzhi Rabadanov scored a brutal knockout in the prelims of Bellator 263, his opponent Daniel Carey had to be carried out of the octagon on a stretcher. Khabib Nurmagomedov assisted the medical professionals as they applied the neck-brace on Carey and loaded him onto the backboard.

Khabib Nurmagomedov also stayed with an injured Jonathan Quiroz before congratulating another Dagestani fighter Khasan Magomedsharipov, brother of UFC fighter Zabit Magomedsharipov.

Khabib Nurmagomedov does not plan on becoming a full-time coach

Even though 'The Eagle' is more than happy to lend his expertise and experience to his cousins and teammates, he is not keen on becoming a professional coach.

"I don’t plan to be a professional coach. But when my brothers fight, since I have a lot of experience in the octagon, I can give good advice; especially when it’s guys that you grew up with and know well. You know their strengths and weaknesses, how they match up against their opponent – I’ll be doing that in the future. But to go to a gym… I don’t think it’d be right for me to be just a coach. I can do so much more. So, I don’t plan on doing that" Khabib Nurmagomedov said to RT Sport earlier this year.

Watch the interview below:

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