Belal Muhammad describes training with Khabib Nurmagomedov ahead of UFC 304, says 'The Eagle' could "come back and be a champion right now"
Belal Muhammad recently opened up about his training sessions with Khabib Nurmagomedov ahead of his welterweight title fight at UFC 304. He noted that the former lightweight champion hasn't lost a step and could still achieve success if he were to return to the octagon.
Since retiring from the sport, 'The Eagle' has transitioned to a coaching role and has even occasionally lent a helping hand to his AKA coach Javier Mendez when his teammates were training at the gym. Several of Nurmagomedov's proteges have gone on to surge up the rankings in their respective divisions and even became champions in major promotions like UFC and Bellator.
Championship Rounds recently tweeted a clip from the reigning welterweight champion's appearance on The Fighter and The Kid, where he described what 'The Eagle' was like to train with. Muhammad mentioned that Nurmagomedov was dominant and believed he could easily become a UFC champion despite his four-year layoff following his retirement. He said:
"Khabib's [Nurmagomedov] fricken playing with me, like throwing me around. And I'm just like, 'Man, I'm fighting for the world title and this guy is just toying with me'...Literally, yeah, when I was in New Jersey. I was like, 'bro, I'm getting killed by [Khabib]' and then all of a sudden I get the fight announcement and I'm like, 'bro, I suck'...[Khabib] literally, he could come back and be a champion right now. In any division he wants to."
Check out Belal Muhammad's comments below:
Belal Muhammad claims Khabib Nurmagomedov created the game plan for his bout against Leon Edwards
Ahead of his welterweight title bout against Leon Edwards at UFC 304, Belal Muhammad also claimed that Khabib Nurmagomedov analyzed the Englishman's fighting style and created a game plan for him.
The game plan crafted by Nurmagomedov worked as Muhammad was able to use his wrestling to take the fight to the ground. He also displayed impressive improvements with his striking as he found success in combinations, which allowed him to time his takedowns rather than force them.
Muhammad earned a unanimous decision over Edwards to become the new welterweight champion after the judges scored the bout 48-47, 48-47, and 49-46 in his favor.
Check out the tweet regarding Belal Muhammad's comments below: