'The weight cut was perfect' - Khabib Nurmagomedov put on an astonishing amount of weight for Justin Gaethje fight
Khabib Nurmagomedov revealed that he put on almost 22 pounds from the weigh-ins to fight date one day later when he faced Justin Gaethje at UFC 254.
Explaining why he would never fight as a welterweight, Khabib declared that his regular weight is around 180 lb. But competing as a lightweight, he has to cut it down to under 155 lb.
Speaking in a recent interview with Magomed Ismailov, Khabib recalled the weight cut process of his last fight in the UFC. According to the retired lightweight champion, he recovered a substantial amount of weight in only one day.
"The weight cut was perfect. Everything was on point. I woke up in the morning with just 2.9 kg left to cut. [It was one of the best weight cuts of my career], but not the best one - I had some better weight cuts before. It was difficult, but definitely, one of the best. And I recovered very well, too. I managed to regain almost 22 pounds," Khabib said.
"I showed 155 lb on the scales, and on fight night - when I entered the cage - I weighed in at like 176 pounds. Ok, so I gained 21 pounds for the fight - it's a lot," he added.
Khabib Nurmagomedov recalls how nervous his team was before the Justin Gaethje fight
Khabib Nurmagomedov had a nightmare of a training camp ahead of what would be his last professional fight in the UFC. The Russian grappler suffered from unexpected diseases and injuries while preparing to fight Justin Gaethje at UFC 257.
He told Magomed Ismailov in the same interview that he could perceive how little faith his team had in his success during the walk into the octagon.
"When I was coming out for the fight - with my cornerman, teammates, and coach Javier Mendez, we were standing in front of the cameras, and I can feel their energy. They were all very nervous. So, I turn at them and say: 'Hey, are you at the funerals or what?! Where is your support? Come on! Don't be so stressed. It's all good!' Khabib recollected.
"I can remember I also told Javier that I could see how nervous he was, it was never that way in my previous fights. That was when we talked with him after the fight, and he said to me that he was so nervous because all of my training camps had been perfect except for this one that had so many failures: the broken toe, hospital..." he concluded.