Islam Makhachev has paid an emotional tribute to Khabib Nurmagomedov's late father and former coach Abdulmanap after becoming UFC champion.
Makhachev has enjoyed a meteoric rise since signing with the UFC has mirrored the career of mentor Nurmagomedov who retired as an undefeated UFC champion in 2020. In the biggest step of his career to date, the Russian was crowned lightweight ruler with victory over Charles Oliveira at UFC 280 last weekend to cap off his recent dominance at 155lb.
The rising star is currently being coached by Nurmagomedov and American Kickboxing Academy trainer Javier Mendez, having previously been coached by his mentor's late father Abdulmanap. After winning the title on Saturday night, Makhachev posted an emotional image of himself and his late coach on Instagram with a lengthy caption in Russian, which read: "My coach was the first to believe in me when I first came to the gym and did not even think of becoming a fighter.
