Khabib Nurmagomedov contributed significantly to Belal Muhammad becoming the world’s new welterweight champion. Before his title bout with Leon Edwards, Muhammad spent a lot of time training and sparring with Nurmagomedov. However, all the champion remembers about those training sessions is being overpowered by the retired UFC fighter.
Since his retirement in 2020, ‘The Eagle’ now spends most of his time training his teammates. Muhammad has previously talked about sparring with the former champion and getting dominated. In the latest interview with Demetrious ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson, the newly crowned welterweight champion doubled down on those wild claims.
Whenever you go with him it’s kind of embarrassing… he just kills you. He’s on top of me and he’s about to get me in a kimura and he’s ordering coffee.
Belal Muhammad via Demetrious Johnson’s YouTube channel
Ahead of the Leon Edwards fight, Muhammad mentioned that Nurmagomedov helped him to create a game plan for the fight. Though the ‘Eagle’ didn’t want to take any credit, the influence was clearly visible. Many, including Daniel Cormier, believed that his pressure and fighting style looked similar to that of prime Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Belal Muhammad tells the story of how Khabib ordered a coffee while he was grappling with him 😭
“Whenever you go with [Khabib] it’s kind of embarassing… he just kills you.
He’s on top of me and he’s about to get me in a kimura and he’s ordering coffee.”
🎥 YT / @MightyMouse… pic.twitter.com/gW23i5EbdM
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) September 18, 2024
Belal Muhammad shocked the MMA community with his stellar performance at UFC 304, which helped him win the title. He became the first-ever Palestinian UFC champion by dominating Edwards for five rounds. Similar to Muhammad, ‘The Eagle’ has also trained and created top fighters such as Islam Makhachev, Umar Nurmagomedov, and Usman Nurmagomedov.
Khabib Nurmagomedov’s way of coaching
Like his father Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, Khabib Nurmagomedov also transformed himself into a top coach. The UFC legend is undefeated as a coach and has goals to make multiple MMA champions. Many experts have praised Dagestani for his no-nonsense and hard-working methods.
Khabib Nurmagomedov coaching at AKA gym (via Instagram)Team Khabib was recently at the AKA gym for Usman Nurmagomedov Bellator training camp. AKA gym is the place where it all started for Khabib Nurmagomedov.
This is the place where he took his game to the next level and became the lightweight champion. In a recent YouTube video, Nurmagomedov shared his knowledge regarding training sessions.
This is not easy sport. This is very hard sport. Always pain something. Your back, shoulder, knees, ankle…anything….You have to come inside your gym and help your partners. It’s very important with this kind of energy.
Khabib Nurmagomedov via his YouTube channel
During his time in the AKA, Khabib Nurmagomedov also met his old friends such as Cain Velasquez and Daniel Cormier. As expected their videos went viral as fans felt nostalgic seeing all the legends together like old times. Years after his retirement, the former lightweight champion continues to make headlines as fans are desperate for his glimpse.
