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NEWARK, NJ – APRIL 18: Luke Rockhold prepares to fight against Lyoto Machida of Brazil in their middleweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at Prudential Center on April 18, 2015 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/Getty Images)
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NEWARK, NJ – APRIL 18: Luke Rockhold prepares to fight against Lyoto Machida of Brazil in their middleweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at Prudential Center on April 18, 2015 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/Getty Images)
Despite retiring from the UFC, Khabib Nurmagomedov is still one of the most influential players in the sport. The former lightweight champion has a spectacular record of 29-0 and has taken his expertise to the coaching role.
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Khabib Nurmagomedov was trained by his father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov. After the passing of his father, ‘The Eagle’ retired and began shaping the careers of his stablemates (Islam Makhachev, Usman Nurmagomedov, and many more). Also, the former champion agreed to coach his close friend Luke Rockhold for his upcoming UFC fights.
A few months ahead of his return, Rockhold, in a chat with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, commented on his cornermen and revealed whether ‘The Eagle‘ would be by his side.
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The former champion said, “I need to work with Khabib. He’s got family, he’s got kids, he’s got a lot on his table. He is a man in demand. I think they’re (Khabib’s team) going to come out here like October, November, or something like that we’ll see. The guys, you know, they always move.”
Luke Rockhold will return against Sean Strickland at UFC 268
After a lengthy sabbatical, Luke Rockhold, the former UFC middleweight champion, will return to the cage at UFC 268 at Madison Square Garden. In his last fight, at UFC 239, Rockhold got knocked out by Jan Blachowicz in the second round.
Now, Luke will meet Sean “Tarzan” Strickland in a five-round fight. Sean Strickland has won five consecutive fights, while Rockhold has lost three of his last five.
Hence, this bout might be difficult for Rockhold since he is returning to action after a two-year hiatus. Meanwhile, Strickland is coming off a victory over Uriah Hall at UFC Fight Night: Hall vs Strickland.
As Rockhold and Strickland have already been throwing jabs at one other on social media and in interviews, it will be an exciting fight to witness. Rockhold will need to perform spectacularly at UFC 268 if he is to defeat Sean Strickland. Hence, Khabib Nurmagomedov in his corner will be a real boost. Do you see it happening?
