'He needs a little bit more Tyson style' - Khabib reacts to Umar Nurmagomedov's UFC Fight Island 8 win
Khabib wants his cousin Umar Nurmagomedov to enhance his boxing skills following his win at UFC Fight Island 8. 'The Eagle' thinks Umar's performance will improve drastically if he adds a "Tyson style" to his skill set. Umar Nurmagomedov, 24, put on a dominating show on his UFC debut that extended his undefeated streak to 13 fights.
Speaking to Full Reptile after the fight, Khabib Nurmagomedov mentioned that there is room for improvement in Umar's boxing.
"Umar has very good kicks and his kicking is much better than his boxing. But I want his boxing to become as good as his kicking, then he is going to be amazing because his kicks are very fast, very hard, like heavy. But he needs a little bit more (Mike) Tyson style," said the Eagle.
The UFC lightweight champion also added that although Umar Nurmagomedov did well inside the octagon, his performance wasn't flawless.
"He did well. I think (out of) five, I give him four," said the UFC lightweight champion.
Umar Nurmagomedov submits Sergey Morozov via rear-naked choke
Umar Nurmagomedov was dominant throughout his fight against Sergey Morozov. The Russian fighter started the bout aggressively, landing heavy kicks to Morozov's legs and body before showcasing his grappling skills on the mat.
The 24-year-old Dagestani scored a vicious head kick that rocked his Kazakhstani opponent, and it was a one-sided contest after that. Umar Nurmagomedov took the fight to the canvas and submitted Morozov in the second round of the fight.
Interestingly, Khabib Nurmagomedov fought in the UFC for the first time on the same date as his cousin. The UFC lightweight champion noted that his cousin did a better job on his UFC debut when compared to him.
"Nine years ago, this day, 20th January 2012, I beat my opponent like this, with this choke. But I did it in the third round, and he did it in the second round," said Khabib Nurmagomedov in the cage following the fight.