5 best coaching performances in the UFC
In the UFC, and indeed all of MMA, coaches are unsung heroes. Casual fans of the sport are only concerned with the fighters and what they see said fighters do inside the octagon, neglecting all of the hard work done by the fighter's coaching staff to prime them for a bout against an equally skilled mixed martial artist.
Worse still, many shifts during bouts are incorrectly attributed to luck or chance, depriving a fighter's corner of the credit they deserve for their technical advice between rounds. For longtime observers of the sport, however, the importance of coaches cannot be understated. Prospects have transformed into champions under the guidance of the correct coach, while fights that seemed as though they were certain losses were reversed into stunning wins.
In honor of Leon Edwards' upset victory over Kamaru Usman at UFC 278, a win that his coaches were instrumental in engineering, this list compiles 5 of some of the greatest coaching moments in the UFC.
#5. Islam Makhachev vs. Dan Hooker, UFC 267
While he is no longer ranked inside the top 10 of the lightweight division, Dan Hooker remains a staple in the 155 lbs weight class. After bouncing back from the first knockout loss of his career against Michael Chandler at UFC 257 with a win over Nasrat Haqparast, 'The Hangman' made the questionable decision to step in as a short-notice replacement for an injured Rafael dos Anjos against surging lightweight Islam Makhachev.
A protege of the legendary Khabib Nurmagomedov, Makhachev is a fearsome grappler with 22 wins and only 1 loss. When he and Hooker clashed, the Russian wasted no time in taking the fight to the ground. During a grappling sequence against the cage, Makhachev was coached by Nurmagomedov into locking in a kimura that he was struggling to secure.
'The Eagle' urged his protege to remain calm and hook his leg behind Hooker's head to gain control and leverage over his foe's upper-body. The advice was successful, enabling Makhachev to slap on the kimura without fail and crank on it until the referee stepped in to bring an end to the bout.