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Khabib Nurmagomedov has high praise for his childhood friend and longtime training partner, current UFC lightweight contender Islam Makhachev.
During a recent press conference, Khabib opened up on multiple topics. You can watch the press conference in the video below:
Khabib Nurmagomedov was asked what aspect of MMA Islam Makhachev is better than him in. He responded by stating:
“Check this out. Unlike many fighters, Islam always trains wherever he is," Khabib said. "He’s always focused, and he knows what he wants. Some fighters want one and the other, but you can’t sit on two chairs. I’m sitting on this chair. If there were a second one, it’d be empty. Unlike others, Islam knows exactly what he wants.
"He constantly trains, and not just for one year. We can go back to 2000, to when he was an amateur, a child. He and Shamil would go to competitions, win, and come back. He was in the fourth or fifth grade. Today’s 2021, and all that work wasn’t done in a couple of years. It’s decades’ worth of work.
“Islam is very close to becoming a champion. You can make a comparison. When I was growing up, I looked up to Shamil Zavurov. He was much older than me, but we were the same weight. I reached for his level. Time flies. And no matter who you are and when it’s gone it’s gone. I trained alongside Shamil and tried to catch up to him. Now Islam’s catching up to me, and Usman is catching up to him.
"That’s how I saw four generations of fighters grow up; ones before me and ones after me. So, don’t be surprised if Islam surpasses me, or I surpass Shamil, and Shamil surpasses someone else. It’s a non-stop movement. Then, a time will come when someone will catch up to Islam. Then others will be catching up to those guys, and it will never stop.”
Islam Makhachev looks to follow in Khabib Nurmagomedov’s footsteps
Khabib Nurmagomedov’s last fight was a second-round submission win over Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 in October 2020, retiring afterwards. A former UFC lightweight champion, Khabib now enjoys a successful career as an entrepreneur.
Meanwhile, Khabib Nurmagomedov’s friend Islam Makhachev is set to fight Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 267 on October 30.
A win over RDA could potentially earn Makhachev a shot at the UFC lightweight title.
