Khabib Nurmagomedov will corner his undefeated cousin Usman Nurmagomedov on July 31 in Abu Dhabi

Khabib Nurmagomedov will be back in the cage on July 31, but not to fight. Instead, he will be cornering his undefeated cousin Usman Nurmagomedov in Abu Dhabi.

Dagestan in Russia is the home of several MMA standouts including Zabit Magomedsharipov and the lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov. Now, his cousin Usman Nurmagomedov is ready to represent his home country once more in his next clash in Abu Dhabi.

In his last bout, the Dagestani standout defeated Ruslan Tuyakov in Gorilla FC with a statement TKO in the second round. Prior to that, he did the same again by defeating Roman Golovinov at UAE Warriors 9 with punches in under two minutes of their first round.

Usman Nurmagomedov only made his professional debut in 2017 and has already tallied an MMA record of 9-0. The lightweight champion, Khabib, is known for his grappling expertise, but Usman has shown the ability to finish his opponents with his striking abilities.

His cousin will be there to guide him in his next fight on July 31 in Abu Dhabi against Kazakhstan’s Erkin Darmenov, who has also tallied two back-to-back TKO wins in his most recent bouts.

Khabib Nurmagomedov has been out of action recently since the tragic passing of his father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov earlier this month. However, earlier this week on social media, photos surfaced of the Dagestani fighter sparring in a ring with gloves and shin pads for the first time since the tragic news.

There has been speculation over when he will return to defend his title, but UFC president Dana White set a date yesterday. He confirmed that “The Eagle” will be back to business on October 24. He confirmed in an interview with CNN that Nurmagomedov will face the lightweight tile interim holder Justin Gaethje.

“It’s going to happen, I tell you right here right now,” White said. “That fight’s going to happen.

“Khabib versus Gaethje, October 24.”