The abrupt retirement of Khabib ‘The Eagle’ Nurmagomedov sparked massive discussions in the media. After retiring from competing inside the Octagon in 2021, ‘The Eagle’ recently announced his all-around retirement from MMA. Prior to his retirement, Nurmagomedov was seen in the camp of the current lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev. The entire UFC fanbase knew the importance of his role as a friend, coach, and mentor of Makhachev. Nurmagomedov definitely helped him achieve the lightweight crown.
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Makhachev is now all set to face the UFC’s #1 pound-for-pound fighter and featherweight champion, Alexander Volkanovski. But, there will be a slight difference in his team as his friend, Nurmagomedov, won’t be there to have his back. Recently, the noted UFC bantamweight fighter, Sean O’Malley appeared on his own podcast and gave out his opinion about how ‘The Eagle’s’ absence might affect Makhachev.
O’Malley would have felt miserable if he was in Islam Makhachev’s state
‘Suga’ went on to compare Makhachev’s current state with his own. O’Malley was coached by the former Bellator fighter, Tim Welch. He also shares a deep bond with him. They have been witnessed hanging out together multiple times. Evidently, O’Malley realized the true importance of Nurmagomedov standing behind Makhachev.
He said, “So, that’s interesting. … I mean that could play a role. It might not, I don’t know, but their relationship seemed like,” he made a hand symbol signifying a strong bond.
Sugar also described how he would have felt if Welch decided to step away from his corner one day. He went on, “It would be weird for me if Tim was like, I’m just stepping away. Like, damn it would be f**king weird.”
Sean O’Malley was worried about Islam Makhachev’s performance without Khabib
O’Malley also touched on the point of how Makhachev would feel without Nurmagomedov in his corner. Talking about Makhachev, the bantamweight said, “I still got Volk, but Khabib potentially not gonna be in his corner, Khabib’s potentially not even training him right now.” He was worried that Makhachev’s performance might deteriorate.
Sean O’Malley’s brother co-host, Daniel O’Malley, added with regret, “Yeah, he’s stepping away completely”.
The Eagle shocked not only O’Malley and his brother but the entire MMA community with his abrupt exit from the fight scene. Do you also share O’Malley’s worry in this regard? Or do you feel Makhachev will glide past Volkanovski in the UFC despite all the adversities?
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