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Khabib Nurmagomedov is set for his third defense of the Lightweight Championship at UFC 254, and he will once again look to unify the 155-pound titles. While the last time he did it was against Dustin Poirier, this time around, it will be against Justin Gaethje, who captured the Interim Lightweight title by defeating Tony Ferguson at UFC 254.
For Khabib Nurmagomedov, 2020 hasn't been an easy year. He lost his father Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov in early July. His father Abdulmanap not only played a vital role in shaping his career but those of many Dagestanis who were aspiring athletes as well.
Speaking on a UFC Russia video (H/T Russian Times), Khabib Nurmagomedov explained how he needed to train constantly to relieve his depression from the situation:
"I trained constantly, because to some extent it relieves depression from me," said the Dagestani fighter.
Khabib Nurmagomedov then spoke about the importance of training and how it keeps his energy intact.
"I train all the time, I like it. When I don't have training, I'm depressed. I've been training all my life... to have good energy, I need to train. My father was the same. He always trained. His friends always said that wherever they went, he always had a bag with him. First, he set up a place for himself to sleep, and then he looked for a gym to train. I think I got it from him. This is very important for me, because as long as I'm an active athlete, and as soon as I stop developing, it will be bad."
Will adversity drive Khabib Nurmagomedov to new heights?
There's no doubt that Khabib Nuramgomedov is facing a lot of mental adversity due to his father's passing. However, with the level of training that he does, it wouldn't be surprising to see another classic Khabib Nurmagomedov display where he outwrestles Justin Gaethje till he gets a submission.
The scary part about Khabib Nurmagomedov is the fact that every fighter knows his strategy, but his wrestling and grappling are on such a high level that almost nothing can be done about it.
Justin Gaethje will be the next one to look to prove the world wrong.
