Khabib Nurmagomedov had long predicted that even after he retired, the merit of his team would continue. Now for the first time in UFC’s history, UFC 311 will witness two of Dagestan’s best fighters competing in title fights. Umar Nurmagomedov is going to fight Merab Dvalishvili for the bantamweight title in co-headliner, while his teammate Islam Makhachev defend his lightweight title against Arman Tsarukyan in the main event. It seems like things are playing out according to ‘Father’s Plan’ – a term used by ‘The Eagle’ and coach Javier Mendez to highlight the late Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov’s plans of etching Dagestani fighters onto the walls of UFC greatness.

Naturally, Khabib Nurmagomedov is helping both the UFC 311 fighters prepare and will be cage side, cornering them on D-day as well. ‘The Eagle’ has already started to form his bequest because his team has achieved the almost impossible: having lightweight champions in three different promotions; Islam Makhachev in the UFC, Usman Nurmagomedov in Bellator, and now, Khabib Nurmagomedov has added another champion to the list, this time in the Professional Fighters League (PFL). Gadzhi Rabadanov spectacularly claimed the PFL lightweight championship, delivering a third-round knockout against former Bellator champion Brent Primus in Riyadh.

Even MMA pundits like Chael Sonnen recognized their potential and mentioned Khabib’s ‘Father’s Plan’. The late Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov was the core of the team and ‘The Eagle’ learned everything as a coach and mentor from him. Sonnen spoke about the same after the PFL win by team Khabib and wrote on X. He said, , “This is “Father’s Plan,” and the Nurmagomedovs could be the greatest family in combat sports, led by the late Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov. Hall of Fame? Absolutely.”

A lot of people misconstrue ‘Father’s Plan’ as being a wrestling-heavy, pressure-fighting style displayed by the Dagestani crew. However, this couldn’t be far from the truth, as the AKA head coach clarified in an interview with Gorilla Fighting, “‘Father’s plan’ is not grappling, okay, its not grappling. A lot of people think its grappling. Its never been grappling. He’s greater than that. He was never one about ‘We’re just grappling’. No! Father’s plan is much more than that, it’s what you have that’s your advantage over your opponent. That’s father’s plan. His father wasn’t that simple like that. His father was a very complex [person]. He was a genius. So it wasn’t about grappling… Its about using your best strengths against your opponent’s weaknesses and understanding what they are. That’s father’s plan. No one knows that. You’re the first to know what exactly father’s plan was.”

Well, it does seem like sticking to ‘father’s plan’ has worked in favor of fighters belonging to Team Khabib. Now fans are excited to see if the same plan will win them the bantamweight title, and retain the lightweight title at UFC 311. As soon as the UFC posted photos of Khabib training Umar and Islam, fans couldn’t contain their excitement.

Khabib Nurmagomedov gets praise from fans as they express their confidence in his team

While speaking to INews ‘The Eagle’ said,  “You guys are never gonna miss me because, in our team, our gym, we create champions. You guys are always gonna have a champion; don’t worry about this.” His words became true after Rabadanov’s remarkable victory in the PFL lightweight championship.

As a coach and mentor, Khabib Nurmagomedov is ready to write another chapter in his post-fighting legacy with Makahchev and Umar Nurmagomedov aka ‘Young Eagle’ fighting in the same event. Fans are pretty excited and many are vouching for Team Khabib to pull off spectacular wins. One follower said, “I believe the Dagestani boys will bring home two belts #UFC311,” while another netizen chimed in, “Very possible it’ll happen.”

One follower pointed out the elite nature of Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s camp and said, “Probably going to happen. They are the best-trained camp out there.” The Hall of Famer’s training camp is not for the faint-hearted because it sculpts champions. Up in the mountains of Dagestan, conditions are tough, and resources are scarce. Training at a high altitude is pretty intense because the air is thinner and the body goes through a lot to acclimatize. This is exactly what contributes to the incredible lung capacity of the Dagestani crew whenever they descend to compete at a lower altitude. On top of that Nurmagomedov makes sure his team sticks to a strict diet and regimen while overseeing intense training sessions that last for hours.

Hence on that note, it’s no surprise that Team Khabib is one of the most successful fighting families in MMA history (maybe even surpassing the Gracies, according to some). On that note, one fan said, “History will be made,” while another wrote, “They will be taking them both. As good as Merab is his striking isn’t all that.”

One follower showed their excitement and wrote, “I am ready for this card. Can’t wait!”  Another follower mentioned how, as long as ‘The Eagle’ and Javier Mendez are looking over the team, no one can mess with them. They said, “Ohh absolutely. Team Khabib has remained undefeated for a long time. Till khabib is in there no one’s touching them.”  So are you ready to see another blockbuster event at UFC 311? Do you think Islam Makhachev and Umar Nurmagomedov will maintain Khabib’s legacy further?