Islam Makhachev shares what he dislikes about training with Khabib Nurmagomedov - "They give me more hard time"
UFC lightweight king Islam Makhachev does not appear to be too fond of training in the presence of his childhood friend Khabib Nurmagomedov. According to Makhachev, things get harder for him when 'The Eagle' is present in the gym.
The lightweight champions recently made an appearance on the Weighing In podcast, hosted by John McCarthy and Josh Thomson. During his time there, the Dagestani revealed that when Nurmagomedov is there in the gym, the fighters attempt to make a good impression in front of him.
Thus, when Makhachev is training with those fighters, they give him a tougher time than usual. He said:
"When Khabib is here, it's more hard because you know, when I go to the cage with opponents, some of the guys... they want to look good in front of Khabib and they give me more hard time."
Check out Islam Makhachev's comments from the 2:50 mark below:
Makhachev is currently scheduled to defend his lightweight crown against Dustin Poirier at UFC 302. The title fight will headline the card which will take place on June 1 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Islam Makhachev speaks about Khabib Nurmagomedov's life after retirement
Islam Makhachev has shed light on Khabib Nurmagomedov's life after parting ways from MMA. Makhachev recently spoke to Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo on the Pound 4 Pound podcast.
At one point during the conversation, the lightweight king spoke about Nurmagomedov and claimed that 'The Eagle' misses fighting and trains every day, despite not competing professionally anymore. He said:
"I think he is happy, but this guy misses the fighting, fight camps. That's why he joins with us everywhere. In long time, now he will come here, and he loves to train. Every day he trains. Not just when he's with us. Every day this guy is training. He has a house in the village. He has a house in the city. Both houses have a sauna. Both houses have very good gym, swimming pool. This guy is training every day. For the good dinner, he has to train."
Check out Islam Makhachev's comments from the 54:00 mark below:
Nurmagomedov was last in action in October 2020 when he defeated Justin Gaethje to retain the lightweight belt. After the bout, the Dagestani announced his retirement from the sport.