Bellator President Scott Coker posted a photo of him alongside former UFC lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov. Besides Nurmagomedov, the likes of Javier Mendez and Ali Abdelaziz were also present in the picture. Whether the meeting was an impromptu scenario or the other way around is not clear.
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Coker is one of the biggest promoters in all combat sports. So, it won’t be surprising if he was actually there to scout new talents for his organization. There might be some link between Bellator and Nurmagomedov’s own promotion, Eagle FC as well. “Was great seeing @TeamKhabib, @AliAbdelaziz00 and @akajav today,” Coker captioned his post.
Was great seeing @TeamKhabib, @AliAbdelaziz00 and @akajav today.
Mendez is Nurmagomedov’s long time trainer. He shares a very close bonding with the Russian from the earlier days of his career. And Abdelaziz happens to be his longstanding manager.
However, it is quite noticeable that ‘The Eagle’ looks quite huge in the picture. It’s tough to imagine seeing him that he once used to compete in the 155 lbs division of the UFC.
How is Khabib Nurmagomedov spending his retirement?
The former UFC champion is spending most of his time promoting his organization, Eagle FC. The Russian is looking to make a name for the promotion. Regional fighters will look to use it as a platform to make their way into global organizations like the UFC, Bellator MMA, and more. The fact that it has Nurmagomedov’s name attached, makes it even bigger an opportunity for them.
Apart from that, the Dagestani is also focused on helping his teammates in the AKA gym. He has taken Islam Makhachev under his wings as the latter looks to become a UFC champion at some point in his career as well. He is even coaching former UFC middleweight champion, Luke Rockhold.
‘The Eagle‘ announced his retirement from the sport of MMA after his UFC 254 win over Justin Gaethje. The passing of his father due to coronavirus was the main motive behind his decision.