Khabib Nurmagomedov and Javier Mendez long have had their footprints in the MMA world. However, in 2022 this pairing became nearly unstoppable.
After Nurmagomedov said goodbye to his professional fighting career in late 2020 and vacated the UFC lightweight title, he switched to a coaching role – filling in the shoes of his father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, who died earlier that year. In 2021, the world saw a glimpse of what was to come – a strict, passionate and dedicated mentor who demands nothing but the best from his fighters.
But that all had to wait until 2022 for it to fully unfold.
