Jack Della Maddalena is coming to New York, leaving no stone unturned. He has Alexander Volkanovski sharing the experience from facing Islam Makhachev twice. He has Craig Jones training him in ‘anti-wrestling,’ the same game plan that worked wonders for ‘Volk’ at UFC 284. Plus, his usual coaching team, which helped him win the world title. The champ camp looks solid. What about the challenger camp, supposed to be led by one Khabib Nurmagomedov?

Makhachev has established his dominance, having inherited the lightweight mantle from ‘The Eagle’, who retired undefeated. Now, he aims to capture another belt and, at the same time, become the first Dagestani to hold two UFC titles. He and his gym, led by AKA head coach Javier Mendez, are ready to challenge the 170-pound division. However, fans have noticed a notable change this time: Nurmagomedov has stayed largely away from Makhachev’s training camp. So, what explains this shift?

Does Khabib Nurmagomedov coach Islam Makhachev for UFC 322 vs JDM?

Since the passing of his father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, Khabib Nurmagomedov has stepped up to continue his father’s legacy, taking charge of the Sambo school and guiding the next generation of fighters. Alongside Umar Nurmagomedov, Usman Nurmagomedov, Islam Makhachev, and numerous other teammates, ‘The Eagle’ has maintained a strong mentorship role. Last month, one of his cousins competed at UFC 320 in Las Vegas, while another cousin, Usman Nurmagomedov, fought around the same time.

Despite juggling these responsibilities, Khabib Nurmagomedov has remained dedicated to mentoring each fighter. Meanwhile, American Kickboxing Academy head coach Javier Mendez has taken the lead as the primary coach. Nurmagomedov rejoined Islam Makhachev’s coaching team around late October or early November, as shown in a social media clip shared by ZA, known for exclusive content from the ‘Team Khabib’ Instagram page.

In the video, Khabib Nurmagomedov highlighted Islam Makhachev working on his wrestling while looking bigger than ever. On camera, ‘The Eagle’ asked Makhachev, “Second question,” before continuing, “How is the preparation going? What’s new in this camp for you?” The Russian star responded, “Everything’s fine. … Until you arrived two days ago, nothing was different.”

This explains why Khabib Nurmagomedov was absent for most of Islam Makhachev’s UFC 322 camp. He simply had his hands full with the other disciples. So, how did Makhachev fare in the absence of his friend and mentor?

Islam Makhachev’s training camp, coaches & sparring partners

For UFC 322, Islam Makhachev’s fight camp did not feature Umar and Usman Nurmagomedov in most of the social media clips. Instead, he focused on training with teammates like Magomed Zaynukov, a newly signed UFC fighter who recently passed the DWCS test. Zaynukov is already generating buzz with his nickname ‘Wild Chanco,’ though fans have humorously misrepresented it as ‘John Pork’ in memes. He was also seen training at AKA alongside Daniel Cormier.

The Russian star is gearing up for his upcoming welterweight debut, working with Mukhamed Berkhamov. In a Q&A on Khabib Nurmagomedov’s vlog, he revealed that he has started training with heavier partners over 90 kilograms. “Berkhamov weighs 91 kg. Before, I used to train with guys who weighed a maximum of 84–83 kg,” he explained.

For UFC 322, Islam Makhachev completed three fight camps: the first in Dagestan, the second in Dubai, and the third in New Jersey. “I did like three camps,” the unbeaten Russian star told the Weighing In podcast on Monday. “One of them in Russia, one of them in Dubai, and the last one in New Jersey. First camp, I just focused on weights to gain weight. I did three weeks’ camp. After that, we moved to Dubai, and we did a lot of sparring, wrestling, more conditioning, you know?”

Ahead of his upcoming bout against striker Jack Della Maddalena, Makhachev has focused much of his sparring on his Muay Thai teammate Magomed Zaynukov, known for his exceptional striking precision.