{"id":2045,"date":"2021-07-16T16:26:59","date_gmt":"2021-07-16T20:26:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/firstandpen.com\/staging\/5861\/?p=2045"},"modified":"2021-07-19T12:13:36","modified_gmt":"2021-07-19T16:13:36","slug":"the-love-of-khabib-and-abdulmanap-nurmagomedov-fuels-islam-makhachevs-mma-rise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/firstandpen.com\/staging\/5861\/the-love-of-khabib-and-abdulmanap-nurmagomedov-fuels-islam-makhachevs-mma-rise\/","title":{"rendered":"The Love Of Khabib and Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov Fuels Islam Makhachev’s MMA Rise"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It\u2019s been roughly nine months since Khabib Nurmagomedov retired from MMA. This past July 3rd<\/sup> marked the one-year anniversary of his father, Abdulmanap\u2019s, death \u2013 the event that sealed the legendary fighter\u2019s departure from the sport that bound him and his late patriarch together.    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Khabib hung up his gloves at 32. With an unblemished 29-0 record, many believed that Khabib was too young to call it a career and had much more to accomplish in MMA. But the Dagestani fighter, widely considered one of the sport\u2019s greatest ever, ended one chapter to continue the one left by his father.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abdulmanap was more than his son\u2019s coach and trainer. He was one of those rare fighting savants that loom heavy in combat sports. A Cus D\u2019Amato of MMA, if you will, who helped raise a village of fighters that are taking the sport by storm. Instead of the Catskills Mountains, where D\u2019Amato molded Floyd Patterson and a raw Mike Tyson into heavyweight champions, Abdulmanap\u2019s terrain was the North<\/a> Caucuses, where a young Khabib and Islam Makhachev stood apart as his star pupils.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This Saturday, July 17, Makhachev will head UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas, squaring off against Thiago Moises. Makhachev boasts a stellar 19-1 record and is rising to become a contender in the very division Khabib once dominated (lightweight). He aspires to claim the same belt and single-name status his longtime friend holds. Islam is riding an impressive seven-fight win streak, most recently submitting Drew Dober in the third round of their March 3rd<\/sup> fight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Islam follows in Khabib\u2019s fighting footsteps, yet the latter will walk behind the former as part of the budding contender\u2019s training team. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Filling in where his father left off, Khabib \u2013 whose massive shadow can overwhelm many of the up-and-coming fighters in his stable \u2013 is keen on remaining in the background and letting his fighter\u2019s performance do the talking.\u00a0 He has quickly adapted to the role of trainer, steering clear of microphones and the spotlight that found him while fighting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was quintessential Abdulmanap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was a man with a giant footprint and heavy presence who barely spoke while training his fighters. A man who commanded the utmost respect of his champion son who famously shared, \u201cmy father\u2019s going to smash me,\u201d after Khabib\u2019s melee<\/a> with Conor McGregor at UFC 229. <\/p>

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