UFC 311 will be a busy night for Khabib Nurmagomedov; first he corners cousin Umar for his bantamweight title fight, before turning around to help Islam Makhachev in the main event.
'The Eagle' would love to fly away from the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles with both UFC championship titles in tow – and he's making sure Islam Makhachev doesn't take his eyes off the ball so close to his title match.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Khabib Nurmagomedov was not impressed with Islam Makhachev's training
Dominant lightweight Islam Makhachev returns to the octagon on January 18 in a highly anticipated rematch against Armenian wrestler Arman Tsarukyan in the main event of UFC 311.
Despite testing Makhachev during training camp, the legendary Khabib Nurmagomedov is desperate to ensure his star pupil does everything he can to stay focused… Even if it means taking a few steps back.
“This week was all about hard work [and] you can see the result on my face,” Makhachev said in a recent Instagram video, showing off some minor bumps and bruises from sparring.
“Let's ask the coach – Khabib, what do you think of the team [this week]?”
“Am I satisfied or not? Honestly, four out of five,” Nurmagomedov complained, which understandably shocked the lightweight champion.
“Four?!” declared a dejected Makhachev, with Khabib even admitting it was 'barely' a score of four out of five anyway – for one simple reason.
“Brother, did you get some rest on Wednesday night?”
“Yes… So that shouldn't be necessary [take time off]?”
“No, of course not – we only rest on Sunday and Saturday evenings and that's it.”
“Okay, I got you… We won't rest anymore.”
While Makhachev sounded bitterly disappointed with his coach's assessment of what appeared to have been an incredibly tough week, it is simply a testament to the mentality that has propelled Nurmagomedov to legendary MMA status.
Islam Makhachev admits the camp will be 'tough' if Khabib emerges
In an interview shared by 'Yukah MMA' and translated from Russian, the UFC lightweight champion wanted to make it clear that while he has several game plans in place for Tsarukyan, so does coach Khabib.
“There has never been a fight where someone completely stopped my wrestling, even if it turns out I can't wrestle, there always has to be a plan B… There is also Khabib in my corner with his own plan [on how to win] – he can change the game plan quickly [and] give advice.
While Nurmagomedov may be Makhachev's lead preparation, the prominence of his gym means 'The Eagle' can't be there 24/7.
“We were talking at training camp, he called. He wanted to come for a week, I replied that there were about 500 people on the base – and he decided to change his plans.
“We were here with Khabib for the last training camp, [and] it was very tough. Training camp usually starts with adjustment and acclimatization, but if Khabib is here, that's it, we start wrestling [drills] right away… And that whole training camp was tough.”
UFC 311: Makhachev vs Tsarukyan takes place on Saturday, January 18.
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