Khabib May End Up Coaching for Luke Rockhold’s Return Fight

For months, Luke Rockhold has been hinting at making a comeback to MMA. It now seems that he’ll have an expert team around him for his upcoming bout. New reports even indicate we could see Khabib Nurmagomedov acting as a coach for Luke Rockhold’s return fight.

That will likely serve Rockhold well. Khabib has officially retired from MMA and seems focused on making the transition into a coaching role.

Here’s what we know about this situation!

Khabib’s Legacy is Almost Unmatched in the Sport of MMA

Khabib Nurmagomedov has been one of the best MMA fighters on the planet for years. Last week, UFC President Dana White finally confirmed that “The Eagle” had retired from MMA. His legacy is solidified and he will go down in history as one of the best to ever compete.

Khabib ended his career with a record of 29-0. He won the UFC title in 2018 and defended it on three different occasions. His final fight against Justin Gaethje proved that he has a level of grappling unlike anything fans have seen before.

Obviously, most fans are sad to see Nurmagomedov retire from the sport. He’s still younger than many of the other fighters in the lightweight division. It seems likely that he could continue fighting as a champion for years to come.

Fortunately, there are some fantastic matchups still available at 155 pounds. Shortly after Khabib’s retirement was confirmed, the UFC announced that Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler would be competing for the lightweight title on May 15.

Khabib is touting his training partner, Islam Makhachev, as a future champion in the division. Islam is now riding a seven-fight win streak and most recently dominated Drew Dover in the Octagon. He seems likely to get a top-five opponent in his next bout.

There are plenty of opportunities for Khabib now that his fighting career is over. New reports indicate he could soon take a coaching role for the former middleweight champion of the UFC.

Khabib Offers to Coach for Luke Rockhold’s Return Fight

Not long into Khabib Nurmagomedov’s UFC career, he decided to pack up and train over at the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, California. This decision proved to be a good one. It’s here that he honed his skills to become a world champion.

Some of Khabib’s former training partners at AKA include Cain Velasquez, Daniel Cormier, and Luke Rockhold. Three of these men announced their retirement from fighting years ago. Interestingly, Rockhold claims he will soon be returning to the cage for a comeback.

Luke Rockhold’s return fight has not yet been confirmed. An opponent and date still need to be revealed by the UFC. When he does return, however, it seems he may have Khabib Nurmagomedov acting as one of his coaches. Luke spoke about this situation during an interview with TMZ recently.

“I kind of felt it coming, especially with Khabib reaching out to me and wanting to coach me. He’s assuming this coaching role now. He’s like, ‘You can’t be the master, you can’t be the boss.’ He’s like, ‘I have to coach you, I have to be here.’ He’s going off on me wanting to coach now,” Rockhold said. “He wants to be a big part of my comeback, so it’s pretty funny to see Khabib assume this role. He’s going for the ‘coach of the year,’ that’s what he wants. He wants to be the next great thing. He’s following in his dad’s footsteps. That’s what his dad always did. He was always insightful and had a good eye for the sport. I think Khabib is ready to assume this role, and fatherhood.”

It’s clear that Khabib still wants to be involved with MMA in one way or another. He has a huge amount of experience in the sport and would likely serve well as a coach. It seems that Rockhold is open to the idea of letting “The Eagle” act as a coach, as well.

Many are excited to hear about Luke Rockhold’s return fight. Now might be the perfect time to discuss some of the possible opponents to face in his return.

Best Opponents for Luke Rockhold to Fight Next

Luke Rockhold was once considered to be the best middleweight on the planet. He racked up four-straight wins in the UFC to earn a shot at the 185-pound belt. He then won the title by defeating Chris Weidman via 4th-round TKO.

Rockhold then lost three of his next four bouts. He announced he was stepping away from the sport after his KO loss to Jan Blachowicz. It was a major fall from grace for one of the most skilled fighters at middleweight.

It now appears that Luke is ready to come back. There are some exciting matchups for him on the horizon. Many feel he should take on Kevin Holland, who is also coming off a disappointing loss in his last bout.

A fight with Derek Brunson would also make sense. Brunson is pushing hard to fight Paulo Costa next. It seems likely that he would welcome a matchup against a former champion like Luke Rockhold, though.

There are some other great tests in the division for Luke including Urijah Hall and perhaps even a matchup with Chris Weidman. Many are curious to see how he looks in his return. We’ll be sure to offer updates on his comeback over the next few weeks!

Are you excited to hear about Luke Rockhold’s return fight? Who do you want to see him fight? Let us know in the comments section below.