Ali Abdelaziz praises Khabib Nurmagomedov's impact on Islam Makhachev's UFC 302 training camp: "It’s like the army here, the military"
Ali Abdelaziz, manager of both Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev, has praised 'The Eagle' for his impact on Makhachev's UFC 302 fight preparations.
Nurmagomedov previously ruled supreme at the top of the lightweight division but called time on his career in 2020. Following his retirement, the 35-year-old opted to turn his attention to coaching and worked alongside Javier Mendez at American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) in order to help train fighters such as Makhachev.
After seeing Makhachev capture his former title, Nurmagomedov left MMA entirely in 2023, including coaching, in order to focus on his family.
Now, however, Khabib Nurmagomedov has returned to the AKA gym in order to help prepare Islam Makhachev for his upcoming title defense against Dustin Poirier. Nurmagomedov previously faced and defeated Poirier in 2019, submitting him via rear-naked choke in the third round.
Whilst being back and part of Makhachev's team, Nurmagomedov has been uploading training videos in the lead up to the fight. Recently, in the third episode of the series, Abdelaziz shared his thoughts on 'The Eagle' being back.
According to the Dominance MMA CEO, Nurmagomedov's presence in the camp commands the same respect as having the "army" there. He explained:
"Khabib came here and changed the energy of the whole camp. It's like the army here, the military. Everybody is on time, everybody is training good. We're having fun and enjoying it...Now the team is complete. Six more days and it's going to be still undefeated, undisputed, pound-for-pound king Islam Makhachev."
Catch Abdelaziz's comments here (2:56):
Khabib Nurmagomedov expects Islam Makhachev to finish Dustin Poirier within three rounds
Khabib Nurmagomedov recently alluded to the strategy Islam Makhachev will use to finish Dustin Poirier.
Makhachev vs. Poirier is set to headline the upcoming 302 pay-per-view, which takes place on June 1 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The bout marks Makhachev's first title defense against an actual 155'er, as he previously defended the title on two occasions against Alexander Volkanovski.
Ahead of Makhachev's bout, 'The Eagle' discussed the fight and the strategy they have been working on on his YouTube series documenting Makhachev's camp.
According to the UFC Hall of Famer, he doesn't see the fight lasting longer than three rounds. Nurmagomedov said:
"I have a good sense of his [Poirier's] strengths and weaknesses. We are working hard on these aspects...We have a clearly developed plan for the fight, and I believe Islam [Makhachev] will follow it. I really hope that Islam will finish him off in the second or third round."
Catch Khabib Nurmagomedov's comments here, courtesy of Championship Rounds on X: