Tag: Khabib Nurmagomedov

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s newest student: Johnny Walker

Khabib Nurmagomedov's Newest Student: Johnny WalkerAmid his continued losing skid, perennial light heavyweight contender, Johnny Walker appears to have switched his training allegiance from…

Khabib Nurmagomedov's Newest Student: Johnny Walker

Amid his continued losing skid, perennial light heavyweight contender, Johnny Walker appears to have switched his training allegiance from Straight Blast Gym in Dublin – making the controversial move to San Jose, California under the tutelage of former undisputed lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov. 

Walker, who still holds the number nine rank in the official light heavyweight rankings, most recently featured on the main card of UFC Abu Dhabi earlier this summer, suffering a brutal knockout loss to former title challenger, Volkan Oezdemir.

Johnny Walker vs. Magomed Anklaev ends in bizarre no contest after doctor stoppage illegal knee UFC 294 Highlights
Mandatory Credit: Chris Unger – Zuffa LLC

And earlier this year to boot, Rio de Janeiro native, Walker dropped a January loss to another ex-title challenger, Magomed Ankalaev in the pair’s rematch, courtesy of a second round knockout defeat.

Boasting a 21-9(1), Walker has also suffered other notable knockout defeats to former champion, Jamahal Hill, as well as Corey Anderson during his lengthy tenure in the UFC. 

Johnny Walker
Mandatory Credit: Jeff Bottari – Zuffa LLC

Johnny Walker takes talents to AKA with Khabib Nurmagomedov

However, amid his losing skid – Walker who has notably trained under the banner of SBG Ireland in Dublin alongside head coach, John Kavanagh, appears to have moved his base to California with the American Kickboxing Academy setup – notably under the tutelage of the above-mentioned, Nurmagomedov – who is tasked with turning the Brazilian’s run on it’s axis.

Dana White slams Johnny Walker UFC Charlotte he didn't wow anyone
Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon – USA TODAY Sports

“If coach Khabib can save Johnny Walker he’s a miracle worker,” A user posted on their X account.

“When did Johnny Walker start training with Khabib?” A user questioned. 

A once highly-touted light heavyweight contender, Walker had turned in notable wins over the likes of Khalil Rountree, Ryan Spann, Paul Craig, and former title challenger, Anthony Smith.

However, his apparent move to AKA to train with Nurmagomedov is likely going to ruffle some feathers given the Russian’s distinct history with Straight Blast Gym staple, Conor McGregor – who himself has trained with Walker at the Dublin facility in the past. 

Belal Muhammad On Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Ability 4 Years On From Retirement: ‘Could Come Back & Be A Champion In Any Division’

According to UFC Welterweight Champion Belal Muhammad, lightweight legend Khabib Nurmagomedov has not lost a step. Muhammad was crowned kingpin at 170 pounds courtesy of a dominant upset victory over Leon Edwards at the UFC 304 pay-per-view event in Manchester, England, late last month. Having achieved his title dreams on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage, […]

Continue Reading Belal Muhammad On Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Ability 4 Years On From Retirement: ‘Could Come Back & Be A Champion In Any Division’ at MMA News.

According to UFC Welterweight Champion Belal Muhammad, lightweight legend Khabib Nurmagomedov has not lost a step.

Muhammad was crowned kingpin at 170 pounds courtesy of a dominant upset victory over Leon Edwards at the UFC 304 pay-per-view event in Manchester, England, late last month.

Having achieved his title dreams on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage, “Remember the Name” had plenty of thanks to pass around to those who helped him reach the position he now finds himself in.

Among them is Khabib Nurmagomedov and the members of his team.

Prior to his knockout victory over Sean Brady in 2022, Muhammad sought the help of the former UFC lightweight champion and even had his guidance from the corner on fight night.

Be it in person or over the phone, Muhammad has had a similar helping hand from “The Eagle” ever since. With that in mind, the welterweight champ is uniquely placed to describe the condition Khabib is in when it comes to hands-on training.

And according to him, Khabib — who retired with a 29-0 record following his successful title defense against Justin Gaethje in 2020 — is still a step above the rest…

Muhammad: Khabib ‘Toyed With Me’ In Training

During a recent appearance on ex-UFC athlete Brendan Schaub and Bryan Callen’s The Fighter and The Kid podcast, Muhammad further described the work he’s been putting in with Khabib and some of the big names on the Nurmagomedov team.

“Remember the Name” admitted he was regularly schooled on the mats, including by the retired lightweight legend himself. And when it comes to Khabib’s continued mixed martial arts capabilities, Muhammad says he’d back “The Eagle” to capture gold again at any weight.

“There’s not a weak person in that group. Every single one of the people is beating me up,” Muhammad said. “Khabib’s freakin’ playing with me, throwing me around. I’m just like, ‘Man, I’m fighting for the world title and this guy’s just toying with me.’

“Literally, when I was in New Jersey I was like, ‘Bro, I’m getting killed by him,’” Muhammad continued. “Khabib’s still — literally he could come back and be a champion right now in any division he wants to. … It’s literally unbelievable.”

Unfortunately for fans hoping to see those claims tested inside the cage, Khabib has remained firm on his refusal to entertain a comeback since hanging up his gloves.

While he was initially a regular fixture in the camps and corners for the likes of Islam Makhachev and Umar Nurmagomedov, “The Eagle” took an extended break from traveling in 2023.

Recent months have seen his return to that realm, however, with Khabib first cornering Makhachev against Dustin Poirier this past June and more recently calling the shots for his cousin Umar’s victory over Cory Sandhagen earlier this month.

Continue Reading Belal Muhammad On Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Ability 4 Years On From Retirement: ‘Could Come Back & Be A Champion In Any Division’ at MMA News.

Eric Nicksick On Khabib Nurmagomedov Being Unhappy With Belal Muhammad During Training: ‘Punking Belal In Front Of Everybody…’

Xtreme Couture’s Eric Nicksick may be regarded as one of the best coaches in the sport but that doesn’t mean he’s not able to learn things from others in the same field. Since making the decision to retire on top of the sport, former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has seamlessly transitioned into a coaching […]

Continue Reading Eric Nicksick On Khabib Nurmagomedov Being Unhappy With Belal Muhammad During Training: ‘Punking Belal In Front Of Everybody…’ at MMA News.

Xtreme Couture’s Eric Nicksick may be regarded as one of the best coaches in the sport but that doesn’t mean he’s not able to learn things from others in the same field.

Since making the decision to retire on top of the sport, former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has seamlessly transitioned into a coaching role.

Not only has he achieved a lot of success in the corner of other fighters, athletes will often share stories of how far coach Khabib will push people in training.

He appears to have taken up a similar coaching style to that of his late father, and if it worked for Abdulmanap, why fix what isn’t broken.

Eric Nicksick Recalls Key Lessons He Was Able To Take Away From Watching Khabib Nurmagomedov Coach

During a recent interview with Red Corner MMA, Nicksick reflected on what it was like getting to watch Nurmagomedov lead sessions at the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas.

He reflected on one story in particular that showed him how professionalism is key to what they do alongside working hard in the gym.

“Those guys do it at the highest standard at the highest level. One of the funny things too was Belal Muhammad brought a guest that was not cleared by Khabib and then like Khabib was not happy about that and just like kind of made me realize like I sometimes open my doors too much and allow people to come and train that we don’t get vetted through the system.”

Nicksick went on to explain that Nurmagomedov walked a fine line between being actually annoyed by this scenario, whilst having fun with it at the same time.

“You could feel like he was joking but he wasn’t, he was serious about it and Belal was like, ‘Oh dude, I’m so sorry,’ you know, and he goes, ‘I don’t know who this guy is.’ Then like the best part is like Khabib and I are sitting here and he kind of looks at me and he’s like, ‘Yeah Eric, are you going to let a guy in your gym that you don’t know, maybe he’s fighting one of your guys,’ like just kind of punking Belal in front of everybody, it was funny. But obviously, Khabib let the guys still continue to train but there was a process to that.”

Read also: Daniel Cormier Pushes Back On Interim Title Talk Amid Islam Makhachev Injury: ‘He’s Fought Twice Very Recently!’ 

Continue Reading Eric Nicksick On Khabib Nurmagomedov Being Unhappy With Belal Muhammad During Training: ‘Punking Belal In Front Of Everybody…’ at MMA News.

Javier Mendez Downplays ‘The Eagle’s’ Part In Belal Muhammad Title Win: ‘Khabib Only Put In A Week…’

During Belal Muhammad’s current winning streak which now sees him at the top of the welterweight division, a lot has been made about the company he has chosen to keep. “Remember The Name” has got a solid and small team around him but he has also decided in recent times to do some work alongside […]

Continue Reading Javier Mendez Downplays ‘The Eagle’s’ Part In Belal Muhammad Title Win: ‘Khabib Only Put In A Week…’ at MMA News.

During Belal Muhammad’s current winning streak which now sees him at the top of the welterweight division, a lot has been made about the company he has chosen to keep.

“Remember The Name” has got a solid and small team around him but he has also decided in recent times to do some work alongside the likes of Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev.

This was especially true heading into Muhammad’s fight with Sean Brady, which produced his best performance inside the Octagon at that time.

It was also a part of the narrative heading into his title fight with Leon Edwards last month.

Whilst the champion at the time had dealt with American wrestlers in Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington, how would he match-up with someone that has been training with some of the best grapplers in the sport?

Javier Mendez Says Belal Muhammad’s Coaches Deserve More Credit For UFC 304 Win

In a recent interview with Submission Radio, AKA head coach Javier Mendez said that people got too carried away with giving ‘coach Khabib’ credit for Muhammad’s recent title win.

Whilst the welterweight challenger did manage to get some work in with “The Eagle” before heading to Manchester, Mendez revealed that it was only for a very small amount of time in the grand scheme of the training camp.

He said that while Nurmagomedov did contribute and would have added some extra value, the credit for this win on the coaching side of things deserves to be aimed at Muhammad’s long-time team instead.

“What about his coaches? What about Lou? What about his other coaches? Mike Valley, you know, what about them? I mean they were with him through this whole time so to me, it isn’t anything other than what they did as coaching staff because Khabib only put like maybe a week – two weeks to help him on this one and the rest he spent with his coaches. So, to me, I don’t like the narrative when they make it look like Khabib made the big difference when yeah he helped him but his coaches made the difference.”

Read also: Javier Mendez Chooses Between Khabib & Umar Nurmagomedov In Striking, Grappling, Mental Toughness, & Chin

Continue Reading Javier Mendez Downplays ‘The Eagle’s’ Part In Belal Muhammad Title Win: ‘Khabib Only Put In A Week…’ at MMA News.

Coach on Donald Trump’s admiration for Khabib Nurmagomedov: ‘Not surprising’

Coach on Donald Trump’s Admiration for Khabib Nurmagomedov: "Not surprising"Following recent claims from former United States President, Donald Trump how former UFC lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov is his…

Coach on Donald Trump’s Admiration for Khabib Nurmagomedov: "Not surprising"

Following recent claims from former United States President, Donald Trump how former UFC lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov is his favorite all-time fighter – the former fighter’s head coach, Javier Mendez claims he’s “not surprised”.

Nurmagomedov, a former undisputed lightweight gold holder, and inductee into the Hall of Fame of the UFC, called time on his career back in 2020, following an unbeaten 29-0 fight professional career. 

Submitting then-interim lightweight champion, Justin Gaethje with a dominant second round triangle choke win, Khabib Nurmagomedov would then call time on his career, despite slews of calls for a comeback to fighting from Dana White and other promotional officials.

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And reacting to Trump’s claims that Khabib Nurmagomedov is his favorite fighter of all time, the Russian’s bitter nemesis, Conor McGregor hit out at the duo.

“Campaign ending decision,” Conor McGregor posted. “A smelly fat mountain monkey from the inbred mountains of Dagestan is your favorite UFC (AMERICAN COMPANY) fighter? Wow. Abysmal. I was actually wrong. Couple hundred million he is worth. Not multi B. I would have thought USA ONLY would be the mentality here and what I would want to see out of my President, personally.”

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“To pick a retired inbred fighter from Dagestan, Russia who has 3 main events only to his name is astounding,” Conor McGregor continued. “Over all the American fighters that have backed him. It’s a shocking decision. He was caught on the spot. That won’t go unnoticed on the roster. This presidential race is very tight right now. More so now.”

“Trump’s favorite fighter,” Conor McGregor wrote. “Here he is in a tiny tub with his fellow inbred pals in Dagestan. Can you spot him? Where’s Khabib? Find Khabib.”

Javier Mendez “not surprised” by Donald Trump’s admiration for Khabib Nurmagomedov

However, according to Khabib Nurmagomedov’s veteran head coach, Mendez, it’s no surprise to him that his student is the former President’s favorite combat sports athlete ever.

trump ufc

“No I haven’t seen it and I’m not surprised, Donald Trump has always spoken highly about Khabib (Nurmagomedov) and what a great fighter he thinks and also, Donald Trump from the very beginning back when the UFC just started and they would get into the Trump Towers, their hotels and Donald Trump was one of the few people that took a chance on them back in the day,” Mendez told Red Corner MMA. “So, Donald Trump’s an MMA fan so not surprising that he would chose ‘The Eagle’ because we all choose ‘The Eagle’ – I choose ‘The Eagle’.”

Herb Dean reflects on Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor post-Fight brawl: ‘Plenty of targets’

Herb Dean Reflects on Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor Post Fight Brawl: 'Plenty of Targets'Veteran referee, Herb Dean has reflected on his part in the post-fight brawl between the camps of both Khabib…

Herb Dean Reflects on Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor Post Fight Brawl: 'Plenty of Targets'

Veteran referee, Herb Dean has reflected on his part in the post-fight brawl between the camps of both Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor – explaining that while he, security personnel, and other officials tried to coral the teams, there were still “plenty of targets” of attack.

Sharing the Octagon in a brutal grudge fight back in 2018, then-undisputed lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov managed to defend his title for the first time during his reign – taking on former two-weight champion, McGregor.

Conor McGregor again rips Khabib Nurmagomedov over tax issue betrayed and fled Russia

Taking on the Dubliner in the main event of UFC 229, Nurmagomedov landed a fourth round neck crank submission win over McGregor – handing the former champion his first defeat at 155lb, before beginning a brutal brawl with the former’s corner, including former Bellator MMA star, Dillon Danis.

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Separated from McGregor by referee, Dean after appeared to spit in the direction of his bitter rival following his submission success, Nurmagomedov’s team scaled the Octagon in pursuit of the Dublin striker, with officials storming the cage in a bid to separate and stop the mass brawl.

Herb Dean reflects on Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor brawl

Reflecting on his part in stopping the influx of fights in the Octagon, veteran official, Dean admitted that while he and others managed to corral combatants, everyone inside the venue was a “target” during the fiasco.

Conor McGregor

“The funny part about that [the brawl] is even though that whole brawl was chaos,” Herb Dean said. “All those guys were extra respectful of the officials. So, I pull him (Khabib Nurmagomedov) off [of Conor McGregor] right? And then he’s still going after him, talking to him, and I’m like pushing against him. And he’s like, ‘Okay, well… I’m not gonna wrestle Herb, but I’ve got other people I’ve gotten – you.’”

“…They’re not listening, but nobody was threatening the referee or one of the inspectors,” Herb Dean explained. “You’re grabbing the guys – once you grab them they’re like, ‘Oh, okay.’ But if you don’t get them they’re like, ‘There’s plenty of targets.’”