Javier Mendez recounts hilarious viral exchange between Khabib Nurmagomedov and his cousin Umar at Bellator San Diego
Javier Mendez recently recounted the viral exchange between Khabib Nurmagomedov and his cousin Umar at Bellator Champions Series: San Diego this past Saturday. The exchange showcased how animated 'The Eagle' can get when he is cornering his fighters, which made for a hilarious moment.
'The Eagle' and 'Young Eagle' were at the event cornering Usman Nurmagomedov, who defended his lightweight championship against Alexandr Shabliy in the main event. Nurmagomedov earned a hard-fought unanimous decision win to successfully retain his title and keep his unbeaten record intact.
During the latest episode of his podcast, the AKA coach recalled a moment in the fourth round that saw Nurmagomedov attempt a submission on Shabliy. Mendez mentioned that as that was going on, 'The Eagle' became so animated rooting for his cousin to secure the submission that he playfully began choking his cousin, Umar:
"[Nurmagomedov] kicks Shabliy and he hurt him and he took him down and he was choking him. And Khabib grabbed Umar at the same time like he grabbed Conor [McGregor], and he's choking Umar out just like he was doing [to] Conor as he was going in there...When I seen it later, it was crack up. If you look at the Bellator [social media posts], I think that almost has five million views now...it was hilarious." [4:16 - 4:45]
Check out the full episode of Javier Mendez's podcast below:
Javier Mendez heaps praise on Usman Nurmagomedov following successful lightweight title defense
Javier Mendez heaped praise on his pupil Usman Nurmagomedov following his successful lightweight title defense over Alexandr Shabliy at Bellator Champions Series: San Diego.
During the aforementioned episode, Mendez mentioned that Nurmagomedov fought well and that it was a very technical bout:
"We were 100% prepared [for Shabliy], but it was a great fight for those that you know, can really appreciate something of that caliber. You're watching for the technical aspect and how smooth everything was. Some of the things that Usman [Nurmagomedov] did if you watch closely, you can't teach it...and he's so smooth in the transitions and he's evading as he's in the technical war...It's like the Matrix." [1:47 - 2:21]
Check out Usman Nurmagomedov's reaction to his win at Bellator Champions Series: San Diego below: