Khabib Nurmagomedov's training camps in Dagestan are nothing short of the most grueling in combat sports.
Top fighters, including UFC world champions, have complained about the intensity demanded of anyone who steps through the doors of the gym once owned by his father Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov. But if a fighter can survive, it bodes well for him in MMA.
This applies to the crème de la crème; Khabib trains Bellator, PFL and UFC lightweight champions in Usman Nurmagomedov, Gadhzi Rabadanov and Islam Makhachev. But even young prospects are feeling the impact, like undefeated PFL star Ibragim Ibragimov.
Ibragim Ibragimov describes the brutal training in Dagestan
Heading into the PFL's first Champions Series show in Dubai next week, Ibragim Ibragimov has moved his training from his home base with Manchester Top Team to Dagestan. He teams up with Usman Nurmagomedov, who prepares to defend his Bellator title against Paul Hughes.
And even though Khabib Nurmagomedov is with Islam Makhachev and Umar Nurmagomedov in Los Angeles for UFC 311, his training methods in camp are highly regarded. They undergo intense daily training, with fighters booked for a fight to handle the pressure.
“We train together and sometimes [Usman] leads the classes,” he told Bloody Elbow in an exclusive chat ahead of the Jan. 25 fight night. “Oh my God, these are hard times. When he leads the class, all the boys preparing for the fights go against the wall.
“Then everyone gets five people in a group and all five people exchange. One minute it's one man, the next minute someone new, another minute new, they're all trying to pin you against the wall, and after five minutes you get a minute's rest and those five people, all new, you're attacking them .
“You have to try to take them down too, new person, new person, every minute. That's ten one-minute rounds with a new partner every minute. After ten minutes you get one minute of rest and then you are in the center and there is a lot of wrestling with five fresh boys. It takes 15 minutes, it's crazy.”
Ibragim Ibragimov explains why Dagestani fighters have so much success in MMA
A big selling point leading up to this event was the rekindling of the feud between Ireland and Dagestan, which started with the infamous Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov feud. Ibragimov plays an important role in this and will face Dubliner Kenny Mokhonoana on the undercard.
And he notes that statistics tend to support Dagestan as one of the largest sporting regions in the world, given the ratio of population to number of world champions. “These are the facts,” he added. “People went crazy when Khabib said that [Dagestan has much more great fighters than Ireland].
“He never mentioned Russia and people said about the Russian people, but no. He's talking about Dagestan, where we have fewer people than Ireland, and how many champions come from Dagestan? Olympic champions, MMA fighters, everywhere, in every organization, the champions come from Dagestan.
“Maybe we have a different mentality, I think. We have that hunger, all Dagestani people are hungry to win and try to achieve something in their lives, because not many people there have money and things like that.
“People are grinding and training to make money for their families and feed their families. I think that's the most different thing between us and other people.”
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