Saygid Izagakhmaev trains with Belal Muhammad ahead of UFC welterweight's Vicente Luque rematch
![[Photo Credits: ONE Championship and Bloody Elbow] Saygid Izagakhmaev and Belal Muhammad](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2022/04/8b571-16497679966196-1920.jpg?w=500)
ONE Championship's Saygid Izagakhmaev is helping Belal Muhammad get ready for his UFC Vegas 51 main event against fellow welterweight contender Vicente Luque.
Muhammad recently uploaded a picture to Instagram showing himself and Izagakhmaev looking exhausted following a session. In the caption, Muhammad wrote:
"There are days that I don’t feel like training but there is no day that I feel like losing, never let your comfort zone speak louder than your dreams...fight week [On a mission]."
Muhammad will look to avenge the knockout loss he suffered in his first meeting with Luque when they run it back this weekend in Las Vegas.
In 2016 Luque was able to secure a first-round knockout against Muhammad. Since then, the Brazilian has earned 10 more wins, six more knockouts and a position in the top five of the UFC welterweight division.
Izagakhmaev, meanwhile, recently made his debut in ONE Championship. In January, he announced his arrival with a second-round submission victory. Izagakhmaev is a Dagestani fighter who grew up training alongside former UFC and Sambo champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Working with the rising welterweight will hugely help improve the skills, wrestling and explosiveness of Muhammad ahead of his upcoming appearance in the octagon.
Izagakhmaev posted a photo of the two together and captioned it:
"#5 oneFC VS #5 UFC"
Since the upload, 'Remember The Name' has dropped one spot to No.6 in the UFC welterweight rankings following Khamzat Chimaev's rise up the ladder in the latest update.
submits James Nakashima with a SLICK head and arm choke! #WeAreONE #ONEChampionshipSaygid Izagakhmaev 🇷🇺 submits James Nakashima with a SLICK head and arm choke! #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship
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Saygid Izagakhmaev - A student of Khabib Nurmagomedov
Khabib Nurmagomedov recommended pairing ONE Championship with his student and fellow Dagestani Saygid Izagakhmaev. The 27-year-old jumped around various MMA organizations before finding a home in the circle.
Speaking with Sportskeeda MMA's Andrew Whitelaw, ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong revealed how the signing of Izagakhmaev came together, mentioning Khabib's input.
"When I spoke to Khabib, and we were thinking about signing Saygid, he said ‘Chatri, this is the best fighter in his weight class on the Eagle fight team.’ They’ve trained since they were kids, and he said this guy is an absolute animal."
Catch the full interview below:
Sityodtong said that after his debut victory, former UFC champion Eddie Alvarez or Shinya Aoki could be next for the young Russian. Saygid Izagakhmaev will be looking to get back in the ONE circle later in the year and will be aiming to secure a title shot.