Khabib Nurmagomedov was unable to make a planned appearance in the corner of fellow Dagestani Saygid Izagakhmaev at the ONE Championship: Heavy Hitters event in Singapore after testing positive for coronavirus, it was reported.
Having definitively called time on his own undefeated career, Khabib has turned to nurturing MMA fighters from his homeland, including ONE Championship contender Izagakhmaev.
Former UFC ruler Khabib had traveled to Singapore for Izagakhmaev's lightweight bout on Friday against James Nakashima of the US.
But as revealed by the ONE Championship commentary team, 'The Eagle' was instead confined to his hotel room after testing positive for the virus.
Khabib, 33, has not given an update on his condition on his social media channels, but did say on Instagram Stories that he was 'so happy' after Izagakhmaev recorded a second-round submission victory in the absence of his friend and mentor.
Izagakhmaev improved his professional MMA record to 20 wins and two losses with his performance at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.