Daniel Cormier doesn’t know if teammate Khabib Nurmagomedov will fight again following the death of his father

Daniel Cormier does not believe Khabib Nurmagomedov will be fighting in 2020. He also doesn’t know if his teammate will even fight again.

Nurmagomedov was expected to face Justin Gaethje at UFC 253 on September 19. Yet, his father recently passed away due to complications of COVID-19. Since then, the undefeated champion has been mourning his father, while many have wondered when may he fight again.

For Cormier, he knows how tight Khabib and Abdulmanap were, so he doesn’t expect the champ to fight this year.

“I don’t think he’s fighting this year, honestly,” Cormier said on DC & Helwani. “And it’s going to take a lot of strength from a very strong man for Khabib to be back in the Octagon, ever, I think.”

Although Abdulmanap was only able to corner Khabib Nurmagomedov for one title fight, Daniel Cormier knows how important that was for them.

So, the hope for Cormier is Nurmagomedov can muster up the strength to continue fighting. But, DC admits he isn’t sure if his teammate fights again, and if he does, how long he will compete for.

“I just know what Abdulmanap meant to him, I know that this was their journey together. I hope he fights, but I don’t know. Like I said, he’s going to have to muster up a lot of strength for an already strong person to go out there and do it. And if he does, I just don’t know how long he’ll be around. Maybe (Khabib Nurmagomedov) fights and honors his father with another massive and unbelievable performance. But, I look back at his fight in September and when he won, the way his dad reacted it almost like you saw the video when his dad reacts after he won against Dustin Poirier, and it was almost like his spirit was filled with joy watching his kid do that. I’m just happy they got to share that together.”

There is no question, Khabib Nurmagomedov and his father Abdulmanap shared a strong bond. So, for right now, our thoughts and condolences are with the Nurmagomedov family.