Russia has not yet finished celebrating the New Year, and ex-UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov hastened to announce not the most festive news. The eagle, who left the octagon some time ago, is now leaving the MMA industry altogether. The motives are clear – the former fighter wants to spend more time with his family. But what does this departure mean for his legacy?

At stake are the fate of the championship belts of the UFC, Bellator and the whole fighting organization.

Khabib’s other way

In October 2020, Khabib Nurmagomedov put a bright end to his professional career by defeating Justin Gaethje. Having kept zero in the defeat column, Orel defended the UFC lightweight title and decided to end the fighter’s path there. It might have seemed to someone then that the Russian could still return, but he kept his word.

Dana White promised Nurmagomedov mountains of gold, but for all this time he failed to persuade the Russian fighter to backtrack on his promise. In March 2022, Khabib was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. On this, it was probably possible to put an end to the debate about whether the former champion would return to the octagon. The eagle turned from a mere mortal into a legend, which the President of the Absolute Fighting Championship himself was forced to admit.

Photo: © Carmen Mandato / Staff / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

Instead of himself, Khabib delegated fellow countryman Islam Makhachev to the champions of the strongest fighting organization in the world, already acting as a coach. In addition, he helped to reveal the talents of Usman and Umar Nurmagomedov, as well as other fighters who now set the fashion in the UFC and Bellator.

In parallel with coaching, Oryol actively worked to promote his own fighting organization. Eagle FC has turned from a local project with a dubious future into a promising promotion, the tournaments of which were held in Moscow, Sochi, Alma-Ata, Bishkek, Miami.

It seemed that Khabib feels very comfortable in the mixed martial arts industry outside the octagon. As a coach and sports manager, the former fighter could have worked successfully for decades, but suddenly chose a different path.

“Decision for the Benefit”

In early January 2023, Khabib Nurmagomedov was finishing preparing Islam Makhachev to defend his championship belt. Having fulfilled his plan in Dagestan, Orel, apparently, decided not to keep company with his heir on the other side of the planet in Australia. At least in his social networks there was a joint photo with the team and a caption hinting at the termination of cooperation.

– The year, of course, turned out to be very eventful and successful. Take care of yourself brothers. I hope my decision will only benefit, I hugged you all tightly. Thank you, you have been a big reason for my success in sports.

The fact that Khabib announced some important decision in front of his team was obvious. And yet, without further explanation, one could allow different interpretations. Maybe Nurmagomedov is taking a break from coaching to focus on his family. Perhaps he wants to go headlong into the affairs of Eagle FC, but he is going to finish with the training of fighters forever. Fortunately, I didn’t have to guess for a long time – Oryol made a repost of the entry, which made it possible to decipher the meaning of his appeal to the team.

Khabib is leaving the MMA industry to make ends meet. This applies to the coaching career and everything else related to MMA. The reason is Khabib’s desire to devote time to his family, a message appeared on Nurmagomedov’s social networks.

Without support

Khabib has already proven that he keeps his word. If he said that he was leaving with the ends, then so be it. However, even the decryption left certain maneuvers for conjecture. Not all of Nurmagomedov’s colleagues believed in the final departure of the ex-champion from mixed martial arts. Some admitted such a possibility, but still tried to find the boundaries of this very MMA industry. After all, for sure, he will continue to train for himself, and, most likely, he will look at fights. Maybe we will still see the former champion in someone’s corner?

Orel made it clear about coaching activity. This means that Islam Makhachev will have to defend the UFC championship belt without his charismatic comrade. Usman Nurmagomedov will also have to prepare for his Bellator title defense on his own. Umar and Abubakar Nurmagomedov, Gadzhi Rabadanov, Zubaira Tukhugov and other fighters will now be left without the direct support of Khabib during the training process.

Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov / Photo: © Chris Unger / Contributor / UFC / Gettyimages.com

Does this mean that all of them are waiting for the loss of trophies and a decline in their careers? Not at all necessary. Many believed that even without Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, the entire training system would collapse, but the new championship belts of Dagestan fighters in the UFC and Bellator proved the opposite. There is a possibility that Khabib’s departure, at least in the foreseeable future, will not be fatal for his former colleagues and pupils. The same Makhachev, for example, will not be allowed to relax by Javier Mendez, who has no plans to retire yet.

Will Khabib leave Eagle FC? For some reason, it seems to some that Nurmagomedov’s words allow us to assume that he will continue to develop the fighting organization. But the quote “this applies to everything else related to MMA” hints that the promotion will still remain without Nurmagomedov. The mixed martial arts league is too obviously connected with MMA to expect anything else. Orel’s retirement will not mean the death of the project, but his decision will almost certainly have a negative impact on the prospects of Eagle FC.