Islam Makhachev Misses Ordinary Days With Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov Most
UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev recently reflected on the late Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov and made clear that training is not what he longs for the most.
The comments came in a new interview as Makhachev continues preparing for his first title defense. He sits at 28-1 and holds the UFC welterweight belt after moving up from lightweight last year. He is scheduled to face Ian Machado Garry on August 15 at UFC 330.
Asked what he misses most about Abdulmanap, the longtime coach and father of Khabib Nurmagomedov, Makhachev did not point to the gym.
“No, well you know, like not about training at all,” he said.
Instead, the champion described simple time spent together away from the mats. He spoke of ordinary days at the stable and riding horses, activities the two shared more than once.
“I would gladly go with him to the stable,” Makhachev explained. “To spend an ordinary day with him.”
He added that he would keep a horse set aside specifically for Abdulmanap. That way the coach could arrive whenever he wanted and the two could ride together right away.
Makhachev continued by imagining how the present would look if Abdulmanap were still alive.
“If he were with us, then I think we would spend a lot of time together at the stable, since he, too, loved just a normal life, to escape from the city bustle and just with pleasure spend the day.”
Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov died on July 3, 2020, from complications related to COVID-19. He trained a generation of Dagestani fighters, including both Khabib and Makhachev, and shaped the approach that has defined much of the team’s success inside the UFC.
The champion’s words offer a personal window into the relationship that went beyond coaching. While Makhachev has built one of the most dominant runs in recent UFC history, including a lengthy win streak and two divisional titles, he still measures the absence in everyday moments rather than fight-camp details.
Those remarks arrive as the welterweight division watches his next move. Makhachev remains the clear No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter and enters the Garry matchup as a heavy favorite to retain his belt.
The focus now shifts to that August defense in Philadelphia, where the champion will look to extend his streak while carrying the same foundational lessons that began under Abdulmanap years earlier.
