“Khabib Number 3”: Coach Javier Mendez Downplays Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Impact in Islam Makhachev’s Corner Ahead of UFC 284

Khabib Nurmagomedov has now officially retired from MMA. The reason given by the undefeated fighter is that he wants to be more of a family man than he is getting to be. Recently, ‘The Eagle’s head coach, Javier Mendez, said publicly that the former UFC champion does not want to miss out on being a father. Nurmagomedov is pretty family oriented. He left the octagon because of his mother’s request and has now taken a break from his career because of his children. The break that he took does not directly affect his fans. However, there does arise a question of how his place will be filled within his team.

Nurmagomedov is known to always be in Islam Makhachev’s corner in every fight. Except for a few emergencies, ‘The Eagle’ has not left his Russian disciple’s corner. However, this time around, things will be different since the Dagestani fighter won’t be there in the event to manage the corner as a team member. The head coach of the American Kickboxing Academy recently gave a public statement giving the solution to the concern.

Who will fill Khabib Nurmagomedov’s place in the upcoming UFC 284?

Islam Makhachev will be fighting against ‘The Great’ Alexander Volkanovski in the upcoming UFC 284. The Russian fighter has always had Nurmagomedov by his side during every fight. Considering the different circumstances this time around, a different solution has been alternated. “Khabib hasn’t been around in all the fights,” said Mendez while giving the fans a reality check. This reply was to those who were constantly in doubt about Nurmagomedov’s vacancy in UFC 284.

“The two people that have been in Islam’s fight the most is Muslim, which is his childhood friend. He’s been with him the most. Then me. Then Khabib,” Javier Mendez ranked the people who are there for Makhachev the most. “It’s been Muslim, number 1, me, number 2, Khabib number 3,” further added the head coach. Mendez said this to assure the fans that Makhachev is still very much familiar with his corner despite ‘The Eagle’s absence.

Javier Mendez assures that Islam Makhachev’s fight won’t be affected due to Nurmagomedov’s absence

The Mexican coach has assured it that there will be no performance gap when it comes to UFC 284. He has assured Makhachev’s quality fight before and after the corner breaks. What we have to see now is whether the presence of Nurmagomedov really affected the corner or not.

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Mendez’s point of view is pretty grounded, since he is the closest to the fighter in such a case. But some effect might be seen on the fighter’s performance one way or the other.

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