"Someone tired, he can go home" - Coach Khabib Nurmagomedov pushes AKA gym members to their limits
Coach Khabib Nurmagomedov pushed American Kickboxing Academy gym members to their limits during a recent training session.
Nurmagomedov’s longtime head coach Javier Mendez of the AKA gym in San Jose, California, posted a video on his YouTube channel. The video featured the former UFC lightweight champion coaching a group of AKA gym members during a workout session.
Khabib Nurmagomedov told the gym members that if the workout gets too hard, they can either go home or cry.
“Someone tired, he can go home”, Khabib Nurmagomedov said as he encouraged the AKA gym members present on the mats to continue their workout.
The members looked to be doing bodyweight exercises. They performed push-ups and appeared to have been instructed to hold their positions during the break between sets.
Javier Mendez asked Khabib Nurmagomedov what else the gym members can do besides going home. Nurmagomedov responded to this by saying:
“Cry too. If someone tired, they can cry.”
Mendez then proceeded to ask the gym members whether there were any crybabies present at the gym. Khabib Nurmagomedov once again instructed the members to start their push-up set. ‘The Eagle’ urged them to go “all the way down” with their push-ups.
“30 seconds. Good job”, Khabib Nurmagomedov noted, as he continually motivated the gym members during the grueling workout session. Nurmagomedov later added, “Good energy today.”
Khabib Nurmagomedov revealed that he plans to do much more than coaching as he moves forward in life as a retired fighter
Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is widely regarded as one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time. Nurmagomedov’s last fight was a second-round submission win over Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 in October 2020.
After the fight, Khabib Nurmagomedov announced his retirement from the sport of MMA. Khabib revealed that his mother didn’t want him to continue his fighting career without his father by his side. Khabib’s father, legendary MMA coach Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, passed away in July 2020.
Khabib Nurmagomedov's only fight after his father’s demise was the bout against Justin Gaethje.
Since then, 'The Eagle' has been actively helping his teammates at AKA and back home in Dagestan, Russia, to prepare for their fights. When asked if he intends to become a full-time coach, Nurmagomedov explained that he’s unlikely to do so.
The Dagestani emphasized that he’ll continue helping his teammates in their martial arts training but will also focus on other pursuits. This includes ventures such as his MMA organization Eagle Fighting Championship, his protein bar Fitroo and other businesses.