Sean O'Malley comments on Khabib Nurmagomedov cornering Umar Nurmagomedov: "It doesn’t really matter"
Sean O'Malley has weighed in on Khabib Nurmagomedov's return to coaching, after the former lightweight champ recently stepped back into the corner to help his cousin, Umar Nurmagomedov.
'The Eagle' called time in his fighting career back in 2020, laying down his MMA gloves in order to focus on his family and coaching.He walked away from the sport as a certified great, with three title defenses under his belt and a hugely impressive 29-0 undefeated record.
Following his retirement, Nurmagomedov began working alongside his former coach, Javier Mendez, in order to help train Islam Makhachev and other members of their team. The 35-year-old then appeared in the corner for multiple fights for Makhachev, until he won the vacant lightweight title in 2022.
After Makhachev achieved his status as a champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov once again opted to call it a day.
However, the Russian recently made a sensational return to the corner earlier this month, accompanying bantamweight contender Umar Nurmagomedov to the octagon for his recent clash against Cory Sandhagen. 'Young Eagle' then won the fight via unanimous decision.
His victory has almost certainly guaranteed him a title shot, and the current champ, Sean O'Malley, has weighed in on what it could be like facing Umar with Khabib in his corner. Speaking to ESPN MMA's Brett Okamoto, 'Sugar' said:
"Khabib is a legend. 29-0 he finished his career. That's so bad a**...Khabib being in the corner? It doesn't really matter. You're fighting the dude across from you so, I guess it would be cool to see Khabib because he's a nice guy."
Catch O'Malley's comments here (17:00):
Khabib Nurmagomedov reportedly clears $3.4 million debt to Russian Federal Tax Service
Khabib Nurmagomedov has reportedly put his tax issues behind him, after claims that his bank accounts had been seized until he paid off a sizeable sum.
The Russian Federal Tax Service reportedly worked to seize all of the former fighter's accounts, with claims that they also raided multiple gyms and homes owned by the MMA star. The money owed, which stood at $3.398 million, was allegedly due to irregularities in Nurmagomedov's claimed earnings, however, 'The Eagle' continually denied any wrongdoing on his part.
The Russian's issues now seem over, however, as SHOT, a channel on the Russian messaging platform Telegram, reported last week that Nurmagomedov had officially settled his debts and was no longer being looked into by the Russian tax authorities.