It was a short time ago when Daniel Cormier expressed uncertainty about Khabib Nurmagomedov’s fighting future in the wake of his father, Abdulmanap, passing away.
Then Nurmagomedov (28-0 MMA, 12-0 UFC) was booked to defend his lightweight title against Justin Gaethje (22-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) at UFC 254 on Oct. 24, and many were surprised about the timeline.
Cormier and Nurmagomedov are good friends and teammates at American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose. Cormier has seen first hand how tightly bound the relationship between the Nurmagomedovs was, as it extended well beyond just a father and son. It was also a coach and a pupil, and Nurmagomedov not having that presence heading into a fight was thought to possibly be too much to bare.
Cormier had previously vocalized his concerns about how soon, if ever, “The Eagle” would soar back into the octagon. The lightweight title unification bout is now official with interim champ Gaethje, and Cormier said it’s a welcomed surprise to see Nurmagomedov getting back to work this soon.
“I was a little nervous initially,” Cormier told MMA Junkie. “Not nervous, I was taken a little aback. After I did the show (for ESPN talking about it) I had heard that Khabib was looking more at getting going sooner than later. So, when the announcement was made, it didn’t surprise me because I had an inclination it was going to happen. But I thought he would be away for a while. But nothing makes me happier than my champion coming back and defending his belt.”
Cormier has an important fight of his own coming up. He’s slated to challenge Stipe Miocic for the heavyweight title in an anticipated trilogy bout Aug. 15 at UFC 252. Regardless of the result, Cormier has vowed to retire and will transition into a full-time role as a broadcaster and analyst.
The future for Cormier will consist of him being cageside commentating some of the biggest fights the UFC puts on. The emotion of watching Nurmagomedov compete is a lot to handle, though, and would also provide a challenge to stay unbiased.
For that reason, Cormier said it’s likely he won’t be in the booth for Nurmagomedov vs. Gaethje at UFC 254.
“I’m probably going to step back,” Cormier said.
Daniel Cormier was 'taken a little aback' by Khabib Nurmagomedov returning at UFC 254