Daniel Cormier and Ariel Helwani think Khabib Nurmagomedov can be Coach of the Year in 2021
Khabib Nurmagomedov retired from UFC back in October 2020 after UFC 254. ‘The Eagle’ submitted Justin Gaethje and extended his unbeaten MMA record to 29-0-0.
A major reason behind his retirement was that his father, who was his mentor and coach since childhood, passed away. But that wasn’t it for the Russian in MMA.
He is still in the gym, training, advising, and teaching his teammates. One of them, Islam Makhachev displayed a wonderful brand of wrestling recently at UFC 259 against Drew Dober.
And Daniel Cormier, along with ESPN MMA host Ariel Helwani, thinks that Nurmagomedov deserves to be recognized as an early nominee for Coach of the Year 2021. Ariel said:
“Early front-runner, I don’t want to stutter; early frontrunner for 2021 Coach of the Year, Khabib Nurmagomedov.”
This was coming after Khabib was coaching Islam Makhachev at UFC 259. The Eagle did a great job of it though as Islam dominated Dober and got an impressive win.
DC and Helwani note the transition of Khabib Nurmagomedov from fighter to coach
Cormier noted how seamlessly the lightweight champion has transitioned from being a professional fighter to being an MMA coach. Helwani then mentioned that he has assumed the role of his team’s coach very well.
That was, of course, the position held by the Russian’s father before his unfortunate demise.
“Father’s plan was something greater. Maybe in the end, father’s plan was taking the baton, and now, taking over the team… What a way to honour your dad’s memory, right? To do what he’s doing right now.”
Cormier concluded the segment by talking about how dedicated Khabib is to help his teammates become the best versions of themselves.
His dedication to the sport is paramount. Even if he decides that he wants to make his retirement official, MMA and Khabib are inseparable.
He will undoubtedly always remain a part of the sport in one capacity or the other.
