Nurmagomedov successfully defended the UFC Lightweight Championship with a second-round submission win over Justin Gaethje, and then proceeded to call it a career during the post-fight interview.
The 32-year-old retired with an unblemished 29-0 professional MMA record which included three successful UFC title defenses.
Mendez, who has been Khabib Nurmagomedov’s coach at AKA since 2012, revealed that the two shared a special moment after “The Eagle” announced his retirement.
When asked what the gesture meant, Mendez began to tear up.
Mendez also shared his first impressions of Khabib Nurmagomedov. He said that even back in 2012, he already knew that the Russian was destined for greatness.
More than anything, however, Mendez noted that Khabib Nurmagomedov was loyal.
Mendez also shared a heart-warming tribute to his prized lightweight pupil on Instagram:
Khabib Nurmagomedov to become coach at AKA?
While Khabib Nurmagomedov may have put a stamp on his MMA career, it’s unlikely that he steps away from the sport completely. In fact, he could already have a gig as a coach at his home team, the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, California.
A post shared by Javier Mendez (@akajav) on Oct 26, 2020 at 11:58pm PDT
In a video posted by AKA coach Javier Mendez on Instagram, Khabib Nurmagomedov hinted that he would be coming back to help the next generation of AKA stars.
If the light-hearted exchange is any indication of things to come at AKA, then it should be exciting times over in San Jose.
A post shared by Javier Mendez (@akajav) on Oct 24, 2020 at 2:27pm PDT
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