Khabib’s second cousin, Umar Nurmagomedov, is 26. He is 14-0 in MMA with two UFC wins. In terms of talent and basic skills, he is referred to as one of the most promising Russians in MMA. Talking about what kind of school a person with the surname Nurmagomedov can attend in training is superfluous.
On June 25, Umar will fight Nathan Maness, who has almost the same stats except there is a loss. Nurmagomedov Jr. already sees himself in title fights and confidently explains why
– Your weight champion is Aljamain Sterling, who took the belt from Peter Yan. At least two guys from Dagestan trained with Sterling: Sitik Muduev and Timur Valeiv. Did you ask them about his level and did they tell you about the current UFC champion: “Umar, you’re going to beat him”?
– No, there was no such conversation, but I don’t think there’s anyone in my division who wouldn’t be in my teeth. I also didn’t ask about training.
How do you find Sterling in the fight with Jan?
– Terrible… The only thing to make up for is to take your back. He didn’t hit, he didn’t kick…
– The situation that Sterling and Ian had, in general, becomes frequent in fights: one closes the triangle on the body, the other does not let himself be strangled. What must be done to get out of the triangle?
– You need to release your back and your body, if you pull the body in your direction, it will be easier for you to turn around. I will not say that it is elementary, because according to the structure of the body, Aljamain has long legs, he almost makes a knot around the body. But, it seems to me that Peter couldn’t let him take that position. It’s just that when Sterling died he had to fight it and not try to leave right away. He had to stay face to face with him and fight.
Is Yang stronger than Sterling in terms of skill?
— Yes, of course, but not in terms of grappling skills. In grappling, Sterling showed he was better.
– Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov told us that Saigid Izagakhmaev is definitely no worse than Tony Ferguson in terms of wrestling skills and will give Khabib the necessary level in training. Who on your team can help prepare for the fight with Sterling if we take grappling?
“I don’t think there is at least one person in my team who is inferior to him in this area.
– Another thought from Abdulmanap is that with age a fighter gets stronger and it can be more difficult to maintain weight. Do you feel it yourself and keep in mind the shift to 66kg (Umar’s weight class is 61.2kg)?
– It’s possible. It would be nice if I was that strong. Guys in the 66 kg category weigh 74-75 kg in a fight, I weigh around 70 kg in a fight. If I weigh more, I can think of switching to another weight and fighting there.
But so far I have weighed 74 kg 2-3 times in my life, while eating a lot between fights. So my free weight when I train is 71-72 kg.
– We have the feeling that in your team, they hardly work with the bar. It’s true?
– I will not tell. Islam started doing the deadlift. Khabib has always done the bench press. I also started doing the bench press, but I hardly ever did the deadlift. Bars, horizontal bar, push-ups are constantly present.
– How many pull-ups at most?
– 25-30, somewhere like that.
– You, like Khabib, go out with a hat, but it seems that you said your father bought it for you.
– Actually, I don’t think many families in Dagestan have ancestral hats. We didn’t have such a tradition. I decided when Khabib retired, why not. But I still have the same hat I go out in. I will be there for the rest of my career.
– Who will be in your corner and when is this determined?
– Usman (brother. – “”), Khabib and Javier. It depends on who is here, who has a visa, who can fly.
Are you fighting Khabib?
– Of course, but it is very difficult to fight him, because he is very strong physically. We have a big weight difference. For me, it’s very productive, because afterwards it’s already much easier with the others.
– What does he most often go through towers and is there something from which, on the contrary, you can definitely defend yourself?
– As long as I’m not tired, I try not to give up a single lap. But in the end, I’m tired, because the weight and strength are different. And there already he can spend whatever he wants. Order.
– There are very rare things in jiu-jitsu, like gogo pay, do you do them in training?
– We are working on everything practical, so that there is no such thing – it will / will not pass. In grappling, in general, the ability to hold a position, to get out of a bad position, can be more important than the pain. The same position that Peter was, [нужно уметь] get out of it. It’s a deep world, and you have to fight a lot to learn at least elemental defense. You need to get the same submission 15-20 times, so you already know how the opponent will enter, what options they will have, and how to prevent them from entering.
– Zabit Magomedsharipov somehow won with a very rare submission on the leg, and in UFC Fight Stats he is even listed as Suloev Strech (in honor of fighter Omar Suloev. – “”). Is it difficult to do this?
I did it in training. You mean when he stretched the guy? Yes, in training I caught someone on such a technique. There’s a nuance to the fact that you need a specific position for you to have a back and your opponent will lay you down, but you can’t enter it specifically. You can go to the elbow lever, but here – if you encounter such an episode in battle, you just need to react sharply.
What’s the last fight you watched that got you hooked?
— Teixeira versus Prochazka. I was very rooted for Teixeira, I really enjoyed that fight. It’s a shame that wasn’t enough for him.
Source : MatchTV
I am Sandra Jackson, a journalist and content creator with extensive experience in the news industry. I have been working in the news media for over five years. During this time, I have worked as an author and editor at various outlets producing high-quality content that attracts readers from different demographics.
