Khabib Nurmagomedov has gone from dominating in the octagon to dominating in the corner as video shows him coaching Islam Makhachev to victory ahead of next fight

Islam Makhachev could hardly have a better coach helping him rack up wins, with MMA legend Khabib Nurmagomedov in his corner.

Since retiring in 2020, the former lightweight champion has delved into coaching, taking up a role on the sidelines.

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Makhachev has a 3-0 record with Khabib as his coach, and will be looking to extend his overall record to 22-1 when he faces Bobby Green at UFC Vegas 49 on February 26.

Lightweight Makhachev’s last fight saw him defeat Dan Hooker with a kimura, taking down the New Zealander in the first round at UFC 267 back in October.

However, for non-Russian speakers, the role of his coach wasn’t so clear until a post-fight translation came out.

With Makhachev and Hooker grappling on the ground, Khabib can be heard saying: “Be patient, control his right arm, perfect.

“Be patient Islam, don’t rush here, brother, be patient, you got it!

“Put your right leg behind his head, yes yes careful, be patient, careful!”

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And it all worked a treat as the orders saw him to victory as Hooker then tapped out, leading to wild celebrations.

Khabib is now following in the path of his father Abdulmanap, who coached him to an undefeated 29-0 MMA record.

Abdulmanap sadly passed away in 2020, and his son has since revealed that Makhachev was hugely admired by his father.

“[Makhachev] was my father’s favourite student. Islam was, for my father, like his son,” the 33-year-old said.

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“My dad always kept saying that Islam was a future champ, that’s why I have to be here and that’s why I have to finish what my father began.”

Nurmagomedov has coached nine different fighters since retiring from the sport, notching a 14-1 record.

Some fans would love to see him return to the cage, but UFC commentator and former champion Daniel Cormier can't see it.

“No [he won’t come out of retirement],” Cormier said. “I saw Khabib just a couple days ago. He's happy. He's still training. 

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“He's doing so much good business outside of the octagon. He's happy. And that makes me happy. 

“All you want for your friends is for them to find a place where they're happy, and they're okay with everything that's going on. And that's the number that I'm doing now, right? 

“He's coaching. He's with all of his teammates. He's got his Eagle FC promotion. Yeah, he's just busy. He's busy. And he's working. And he's making money and he's not having to fight. 

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“The guy is very happy in life right now with his family and his kids. I believe he could have done it as long as he wanted to. I don't think anybody was going to beat him. I really don't. 

“I don't say that because of my relationship with him. I just say it because I would watch him compete with these guys and it just seemed like he was operating on a completely different wavelength than anyone else who's fighting.”