Khabib Nurmagomedov knows what it takes to achieve greatness in MMA. But what about the flip side—helping others rise to glory? At UFC 311, ‘Team Khabib’ stands on the brink of history, with Islam Makhachev defending his lightweight belt and Umar Nurmagomedov fighting for the bantamweight title. Yet, the journey behind the scenes is anything but smooth.

After retiring from the sport in 2020, ‘The Eagle’ took on the duties to lead his fellow fighters towards their goals instead. While he stepped away from the coaching role in 2023, he returned to corner Makhachev at UFC 302 when he took on Dustin Poirier. Now, in a surprising revelation, the former lightweight champion has revealed why it takes a lot out of him as watches from the sidelines while his teammates go to war!

Khabib Nurmagomedov reveals the toll coaching takes on him in a startling confession  

Ever wondered what’s harder—winning fights or building champions? For Khabib Nurmagomedov, it seems coaching is the tougher battlefield. In a candid moment from a YouTube video with Demetrious ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson, the undefeated legend revealed a surprising truth. ‘The Eagle’ shared, “I don’t like this [coaching] but I have to be here, It’s gonna be a very big night for us on UFC 311, with Tagir [Ulanbekov], Umar for the title and Islam defends his belt.”

As mentioned above, Islam Makhachev’s title defense against Arman Tsarukyan headlines UFC 311 in a long-awaited rematch of their first encounter back in 2019. The co-main event, on the other hand, will feature Umar Nurmagomedov in his quest to rip the bantamweight title away from Merab Dvalishvili.

Imagine standing in someone else’s corner, knowing their career hinges on your guidance. It’s a far cry from the days when ‘The Eagle’ dominated opponents inside the cage. So, Nurmagomedov continued by stating, “I cannot be home, I have to be here, but I don’t like this.”

UFC 311 isn’t just a night of fights; it’s a crucible for the Dagestani MMA icon’s coaching career. The man who once ruled the Octagon with an iron grip now faces a different kind of challenge—guiding others to achieve what he did. And while he might dislike the role, his commitment to his team is unshakable.

In fact, so much so that during the conversation with ‘Mighty Mouse’, he pointed out that his cousin Abubakar Nurmagomedov fell victim to ‘The Eagle’s strict coaching! How? The former lightweight champion pointed out that due to his cousin’s love for playing PUBG, he had to take drastic actions to get him to focus on his fighting career instead. He bluntly stated, “Because of you, you take him all the time to game, he lose one fight….we break his computer. I know you think we joking, but really.”

With such a laser-focused approach to ensure his team performs its best, it’s no surprise that Khabib Nurmagomedov finds his coaching duties to place a lot of pressure on him. Yet, that’s not where the dilemma ends as he recently confessed that he’d be even more upset to see two of the people he’s helped in their training clash inside the Octagon!

‘The Eagle’ shares his “heart is not OK” at the prospect of Islam Makhachev vs Belal Muhammad  

While UFC 311 looms on the horizon for Islam Makhachev, he’s also got his eyes set on even bigger feats than defending the UFC lightweight title for the 4th time. His aim? A shot at ‘champ-champ’ status by conquering the welterweight division. Yet, Khabib Nurmagomedov isn’t a fan of the idea.

 During a recent conversation on the ‘Pound 4 Pound’ podcast with Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo, ‘The Eagle’ confessed, “If they had asked me to fight with Belal when I was an active fighter, (I would have said) no. But for example, Belal and Islam, OK, you have to talk with them. My heart – my heart is not OK. It would be hard to prepare Islam to beat Belal.”

The welterweight champion has frequently spoken about how training with the Dagestani team has helped him take his game to the next level. In fact, Nurmagomedov was even in his corner when he finished Sean Brady in the second round of their fight at UFC 280.

But it’s not just about loyalty towards his teammates and the people he’s trained with. Belal Muhammad poses a unique puzzle inside the Octagon as Nurmagomedov further shared, “For me, it’s going to be very hard to prepare somebody to beat Belal. If you want to beat Belal, I think you have to stop him. Without a stoppage, it’s going to be very hard. What are you going to do?”

In conclusion, Khabib Nurmagomedov’s journey from undefeated champion to mentor highlights the uncharted emotional terrain of coaching. As UFC 311 approaches, the pressure mounts—not just for the fighters stepping into the Octagon, but for ‘The Eagle’ himself. So, will ‘Team Khabib’ walk away with two massive wins at UFC 311 and cement their legacy as probably the greatest camp in MMA history? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.