Khabib Nurmagomedov has risen to dominate the Octagon and take over the world of MMA as a coach. Without a doubt, men like him have a set of principles and values that make them respectable in the mixed martial arts community. His roots as a Dagestani warrior further enhance Islamic values. Although the battles in MMA are fought one on one, Nurmagomedov believes that it is teamwork that can lead the men to victory. However, even great coaches like him can stumble with some personal problems. 

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After his retirement from the Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2021, the ‘Eagle’ began his journey as a coach. While he no more has concerns like weight cutting, the former UFC champion has gained some mass. However, his teammates seemingly didn’t like their veteran gaining weight.

Khabib Nurmagomedov points out his team’s problem

A couple of months ago, the former UFC champion appeared in an interview with Wahed’s podcast. During the talks, Nurmagomedov revealed how important teamwork was for him. With around 30 people training under him and Javier Mendez, he claimed that sometimes people’s differing opinions posed difficulty in training. However, the team’s goal was, in fact, a single thing. 

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Khabib Nurmagomedov

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Nurmagomedov said, “It’s, it’s become a little bit hard. But alhamdulillah, we almost everybody like big team. We together like all life and we have one view, you know. We know why we’re doing this. For what.  We have the goal, you know. Teamwork is, it’s teamwork. You cannot like separate separate.”

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But when the co-host of the show, Umer Suleman, asked if the veteran’s teammates ever thought they could take him down, he burst into a fit of laughter. He revealed how everyone complained that he got bigger and stronger while they were focusing on cutting weight. 

Read More: Video: Alexander Volkanovski ‘Teaches a Lesson’ to Fighter Practicing Khabib & Islam Makhachev’s Favourite Martial Arts Discipline of Sambo

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Nurmagomedov said, “I say this is your problem because everybody cutting weight, you know. Before it was like almost same weight. Right now they’re cutting weight. I become giant. Like it’s a little bit different and they complain about my weight, you know.” Surprisingly, the coach had nothing but mockery. He said, “But who cares? This is their problem.” 

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s high set of values get reflected in Francis Ngannou

The Dagestani fighter has set rules and values. Recently, he gave a piece of advice to a fellow fighter, Francis Ngannou, regarding contracts. Ngannou has seemingly expressed anxiety about re-signing his contract with the UFC, with financial issues also in the limelight.

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However, Nurmagomedov offered advice to every fighter about signing a contract. He said that once a person signed a deal and had a contract, he must follow it through. Although he clarified that he wasn’t against Ngannou or anyone specific, he simply desired to put forth his opinion. 

Watch This Story: Five MMA Rising Prospects That Train Under Khabib Nurmagomedov

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What are your thoughts on the high values of Dagestani warriors? Let us know in the comments down below.

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Krushna Prasad Pattnaik

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Krushna Pattnaik is a Olympic Sports writer at EssentiallySports, where he has spent the past three years covering prediction pieces, live event assignments, and beat reports with ease. Now a Senior Writer, he honed his editorial skills through our in-house Journalistic Excellence Program. Krushna briefly contributed to the ES YouTube team before returning to MMA reporting full-time. With five years of training in Jiu-Jitsu, kickboxing, and taekwondo, he brings a practitioner’s perspective to his breakdowns of complex fight sequences. His medical background adds further authority to his stories on injury updates, medical suspensions, and anti-doping issues. His storytelling has earned external recognition, including a nod from Conor McGregor himself. One of his pieces was also featured on Brendan Schaub’s podcast.

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Vineet Nandwana