Khabib Nurmagomedov is one of the greatest ever to strap up the fingerless gloves. The Dagestani former lightweight champion, of course, retired undefeated as the reigning champ in 2020. And a large part of the credit for his success goes to his father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.

An esteemed Combat Sambo coach in the Russian army, Abdulmanap’s influence, and training of ‘The Eagle’ were crucial in making him the GOAT contender fighter (and the man) that Khabib is today. In this article, we take a look at what was Abdulmanap’s famous ‘Father’s Plan’, which Khabib and his coach referenced repeatedly.

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s coach on what ‘Father’s Plan’ means

Khabib’s fans will remember coach Javier Mendez shouting from the corner at Khabib to follow ‘Father’s Plan’ during his fights. Usually, these instructions came when Nurmagomedov chose to stand and bang with his opponents. This predictably made some believe that ‘Father’s Plan’ was simply that Khabib should grapple his opponents to the floor.

Nothing could be further from the truth, as Mendez revealed in a recent interview with ‘Gorilla Fighting’. Mendez stated that while he understood why people thought ‘Father’s Plan’ was limited to grappling, this was not the case at all.

“‘Father’s plan’ is not grappling, okay, its not grappling. A lot of people think its grappling. Its never been grappling. He’s greater than that. He was never one about ‘We’re just grappling’. No! Father’s plan is much more than that,” Mendez said.

In contrast, ‘Father’s Plan’, according to the coach, was to basically, as Sun Tzu said, to know oneself and know one’s opponents. Mendez said that the basic outline of ‘Father’s Plan’ was to recognize your own strengths and weaknesses and plan accordingly.

“It’s what you have that’s your advantage over your opponent. That’s father’s plan. His father wasn’t that simple like that. His father was a very complex [person]. He was a genius. So it wasn’t about grappling… Its about using your best strengths against your opponent’s weaknesses and understanding what they are. That’s father’s plan. No one knows that. You’re the first to know what exactly father’s plan was,” an animated Mendez said. And Abdulmanap’s plan wasn’t just limited to Khabib but also involved the latter’s friend, protégé, and successor.

Islam Makhachev becoming champ also part of ‘Father’s Plan’

Even Islam Makhachev, when he became the UFC lightweight champ in 2022 by defeating Charles Oliveira in style, did not forget to give credit to his teacher and father figure. After the fight, an emotional Makhachev put his belt on Khabib’s shoulders, two years after Abdulmanap’s death. Makhachev told Daniel Cormier in the post-fight interview that he had done this because “Him and his father made me. I know [this].” Makhachev, after all, had started his martial arts journey as a child under Abdulmanap’s excellent tutelage.

Indeed, Makhachev became the champ after Khabib was part of Abdulmanap’s plan. The former Russian Army member had told the Makhachkala native in 2017 that he would be champion one day, which even Makhachev didn’t believe at the time.

But as Khabib likes to say, “Father knows best.” And that too was part of ‘Father’s Plan’. What are your thoughts on Javier Mendez’s comments about ‘Father’s Plan’? Let us know in the comments section below.