LAS VEGAS — On January 1, Khabib Nurmagomedov started the new year the way he has for most of his life. He was drenched in sweat and sitting on the wrestling mat. Today, that mat sits at the UFC Performance Academy, half a world away from his home and family in Dagestan. He's been here for three weeks - too long for him.

"To be honest, I don't like it," said Nurmagomedov, who prefers the simplicity and privacy of his home to the lights of Las Vegas. "Why are there people like this?"

The two-hour session is over, and the reason Nurmagomedov is here is what surrounds him on the mat: a group of 20 fighters. Islam Makhachev, UFC champion. Umar Nurmagomedov, UFC title challenger. There are several fighters in the room with undefeated records in MMA, as well as a Muay Thai world champion and an Olympic wrestling silver medalist.

They formed arguably the greatest team in combat sports history, and now, all their attention is on Nurmagomedov.

"It's not my job to say you're perfect," he said after running through a list of things they needed to improve on. "I'm here to make you better."

It's a tradition with this team that the coach addresses the players after every practice. For more than 30 years, that responsibility has been shouldered by Nurmagomedov’s father, Abdulmanap. He is the founder and lifeblood of the team. He was the first to form the core of the group when they were children in Sildi, a small mountain village in Dagestan, and turned them into the MMA powerhouse they are today.

Abdulmanap’s legacy will be on full display this weekend at UFC 311 in Inglewood, Calif. (ESPN+ PPV, Saturday at 10 p.m. ET). Makhachev (26-1) will defend his lightweight title against Arman Tsarukyan in the main event at the Intuit Dome. Nurmagomedov's cousin Umar (18-0) will challenge bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili in the co-main event. The third member of the roster, flyweight Tagir Ulanbekov (15-2), could move into the top ten with a preliminary win.

This historic night will take place without Abdelmanap. The legendary coach passed away in 2020 at the age of 57 due to complications from COVID-19. Khabib retired from active competition soon after and immediately inherited his father's coaching duties. To be honest, he was ready to start a different chapter in his life. He has served and continues to serve his father's team out of a sense of duty rather than desire.

And it’s a big responsibility. Of course, that's always the case with championship-level coaches, but for Nurmagomedov, it goes deeper than that. He was the only one who could complete his father's plan - and that alone made it so difficult. He must be his father, because his father is not here. How does a person become the person he misses the most in his life?

Ali Abdelaziz, Nurmagomedov's longtime manager and friend, told ESPN, "When Khabib's father passed away, he wanted nothing to do with MMA anymore — his The heart is almost dead." "Now, everywhere he goes, every time he goes to the gym, every workout, it reminds him of his dad. He has to be his dad, right? He doesn't want that because he would rather his dad still be here — — and he can stand behind him."

Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov Born to coach.

He grew up in a rural village in Dagestan in the 1960s, devoting himself to studies and freestyle wrestling. At 18, he joined the Russian army, where he learned sambo (a form of hand-to-hand combat) and judo. In Khabib's words, his coaches and mentors are "old school." Abdulmanap trained and studied with great intensity, an intensity that he ultimately passed on to his students.

"He's very disciplined," Nurmagomedov told ESPN. "He came back to our village in 1985 and started training young people until the last days of his life. Some people, they learned things, but they had no discipline. No energy. No knowledge. He was very well educated." , he once told us all that we had to get a lot of education (for him as a coach). "

Abdulmanap’s grappling style is now recognized around the world, thanks to his son. His father's style has allowed Nurmagomedov to go 29-0 and create some viral moments, such as his cage matchup with Dana White during a fight in New York All while talking as he controlled and defeated his opponents with ease. Nurmagomedov's skills led to a 2018 submission victory over Conor McGregor in one of the most watched fights in UFC history.

This famous style combined with Abdulmanap's belief in discipline made his team of fighters virtually unbeatable. The core team composed of Khabib, Makhachev, Umar Nurmagomedov and his brother Bellator MMA lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov has a combined record of 91 wins and 1 loss.

“I can describe this in one word: sacrifice,” Nurmagomedov said of his team’s unparalleled success. "People talk about discipline but sometimes discipline is not enough. If you want to be the best, don't have a family. If you want to spend time with your family and your kids, be with them. You will be the best with a family Man, I have nothing against people with families.

"I just say, 'If you want to be at the top of this industry, you have to make sacrifices. Sacrifice your time, sacrifice your health, sacrifice everything you have.'"

Nurmagomedov ended his career as a boxer in 2020 when he defended his UFC lightweight title for the third time. At the time, he was at the top of the MMA world and widely considered the number one fighter, but he said he wouldn't have been able to continue competing without his father.

He succeeded Abdulmanap as coach and guided his lifelong teammate Makhachev to a victory over Charles Oliveira in October 2022 to capture the UFC 155-pound championship. After that fight, Nurmagomedov tried to walk away. He no longer pushes his fighters and has publicly stated that he has no intention of doing so again. His departure was felt by the fighting community, but even more by the team. Abdulmanap is a memory, and now, so is his son.

"I feel bad when he says he's not going to push these guys because we need him, you know?" said USA Taekwondo Academy head coach Javier Mendez. Mendes also helps mentor fighters who train with Nurmagomedov. "We need his presence. He was destined to lead these guys. They miss him. His presence is huge for their morale."

Exactly one year later, Nurmagomedov remains distanced from the sport. In October 2023, after Makhachev defended his title against Alexander Volkanovski without Nurmagomedov present, Nurmagomedov wrote on Instagram: “ If you ask me where have I been? Why am I not in the corner, I have answered that question "...I completely give up everything related to MMA and I ask you to accept my decision. "

The team performed well even without Nurmagomedov. Makhachev defended his belt twice. Omar went on to rack up wins and climb up the UFC 135-pound rankings. Usman (18-0) won the Bellator MMA title in dominant fashion. But, of course, this is different. This group of guys actually grew up in the gym together. They are used to training in the gym with Nurmagomedov. It wouldn't be the same without him.

As time goes on, Nurmagomedov cannot escape this reality. He tried to offer advice from a distance, but later realized that was impossible. Championship fights come down to details, and those details are decided in the training room, not inside the Octagon. Realizing this, Nurmagomedov returned to the team ahead of Makhachev's final title defense against Dustin Poirier at UFC 302. Nurmagomedov sided with Makhachev in that fight. The goal of a team is perfection, and perfection requires sacrifice.

"Sometimes what you think is the best outcome ends up being wrong," Nurmagomedov said. "There's more pressure to leave. I want to be with my kids, but I have to share my knowledge with my brothers because they were with me when I was on my way to becoming a champion, you know? I have to Right here."

Makhachev, who has Following in the footsteps of Nurmagomedov, who is not only the UFC lightweight champion but the number one boxer in the world, he has been trained in Abdulmanap’s system his entire life. By 2025, the system was still intact, although at times he noticed subtle changes under new leadership.

Makhachev, for example, has been trained in combat since childhood, in which he was forced to endure multiple high-intensity, five-minute rounds with only one minute of rest in between. Under Nurmagomedov, he sometimes found himself fighting three times as long.

"I stopped him and said, 'Hey, man, I've trained with you my whole life, and I can't remember a time when we fought for 15 minutes without stopping,'" Makhachev recalled with a laugh. "'We have rules. An hour and a half and that's it. You have to follow the rules.' (Coach Mendez) wouldn't stop him, he said, 'This guy loves you 100 percent and wants you to stay in the cage. inside. "I understand and just listen to him."

According to the team, Nurmagomedov's coaching style is nearly identical to his father's, except for the increased intensity. Any sluggishness or lack of energy levels in practice is unexplainable. Decades ago, there were stories of young fighters lining up outside Abdulmanap’s office, seeking advice not just on combat but in all areas of life. Today, they line up to seek advice from his son.

Nurmagomedov makes it clear that the lives and careers of his fighters depend on them, but he still maintains the stoic honesty that comes with being a fighter. For example, he told Makhachev that he should retire in two years so as not to live past his prime. He told his cousin Omar, who was considering fighting at the time, that he shouldn't fight during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan because of the never-ending pressure of the UFC schedule.

Every member of the team knows how lucky they are to have him by their side. They also all recognize the life he continues to put on hold for their benefit. Makhachev knows his brother would rather stay home and spend quality time with his family than "train" in Las Vegas for UFC 311 (Nurmagomedov has been on the treadmill Burn calories to cope with the physical demands of turning) three battles).

Once the core team of Makhachev, Umar, Usman and other long-time team members is complete, Nurmagomedov said he will be finalized as well. He's looking forward to that day, but for now, he's finishing the work his father started many years ago. He will sacrifice.

"When these guys are done, I'm done," he said. "I hope it's going to be quick because I'm tired of it all. We've been at the top of this game for about seven or eight years. We've almost never lost. We've played against everyone around the world Fighting. Japan, the Middle East, Europe, America, South America - we almost never lose, we have so many belts, so many championships.

"It's all about sacrifice. All these guys, they've been with my dad from the beginning. Yeah, when they're done, I'm done too."