"I picked up some tricks" - UFC flyweight Manel Kape reveals what it's like to train with Khabib Nurmagomedov

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Manel Kape, Khabib Nurmagomedov & Umar Nurmagomedov (left), Khabib Nurmagomedov & Manel Kape (right) [Images Courtesy: @manelkape on Instagram]

UFC flyweight Manel Kape is currently preparing for his upcoming fight at UFC 265. At the pay-per-view, he'll face off against Ode Osbourne.

To help himself get the edge in this fight, Kape has been training at AKA with former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, as well as current UFC 155-pound contender Islam Makhachev.

In a recent exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA's Andy Whitelaw, Manel Kape discussed what it was like training with the dominant Dagestanis that are part of the AKA stable.

"I picked up some tricks, some details," said Manel Kape. "They have good details all the time. They are very good in what they do, and they do very well. Perfection."

Check out our full interview with Manel Kape ahead of UFC 265 below:

Manel Kape specifically discussed how training with Khabib Nurmagomedov had extensively improved his wrestling game, a facet of his MMA arsenal that was previously somewhat lacking on account of his BJJ background. He told Sportskeeda:

"He teach me how to maul people... Because I'm more of a jiu-jitsu guy, I come from jiu-jitsu. He gives some very good details on wrestling. It was very good."

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Manel Kape discusses Islam Makhachev's chances of a UFC title and his own upcoming fight with Ode Osbourne

Khabib Nurmagomedov is not the only Dagestani mixed martial artist that Manel Kape trains with. He has also put in the rounds with No.5-ranked UFC lightweight Islam Makhachev, who is coming off a dominant win over Thiago Moises.

Many see Makhachev as a future champion at 155 pounds, emulating the success of Khabib. Manel Kape appears to agree with this assessment, stating that:

"Man, I see him train and doing things. This is the real champ. He's gonna be the champion for a long time. Man, he's good, he's really good."

Whilst Dagestan has and will continue to produce some of the greatest modern day MMA talents, Manel Kape is also a fighter with incredibly high potential.

After being signed to the UFC from Rizen, huge things were expected from 'Starboy.' However, he has come up short in his first two UFC appearances, although his most recent loss to Matheus Nicolau was a somewhat contentious split decision.

He now returns in the hope of snapping his two-fight losing skid. He takes on Ode Osbourne this weekend, who is coming off a brutal knockout stoppage against Jerome Rivera. Manel Kape told Sportskeeda how he sees the fight playing out:

"Everybody say that they can stand with me but when they feel my hands they want to shoot some takedowns... I don't believe that we are the same level. I need to respect his left hand. He has power in his left hand, he has shown already at featherweight. But I've been fighting with fighters who have a lot of power in hands and nobody never knocked me down. I'm really focused for this fight and I believe I will knock out him."

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