Watch: Khabib Nurmagomedov gets super competitive playing table tennis with Umar Nurmagomedov
Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov's competitive spirit is not limited to MMA. It appears that the Dagestani is equally invested in winning in other sports.
One example of this is a recent video put up on Instagram by Nurmagomedov's coach Javier Mendez. In the clip, 'The Eagle' can be seen having a competitive table tennis competition with Umar Nurmagomedov.
Watch a clip of the table tennis match below:
Khabib Nurmagomedov is hailed as one of the greatest fighters to ever grace the UFC. The Dagestani went undefeated throughout his career, retiring with a splendid record of 29-0.
'The Eagle' used his grappling prowess to dominate his opponents and overwhelm them with pressure. It was nearly impossible for fighters to win a round against the 34-year-old, let alone win the fight. During his tenure in the UFC, Nurmagomedov defeated numerous highly skilled fighters like Edson Barboza, Rafael dos Anjos, Conor McGregor, Justin Gaethje, and Dustin Poirier.
The Dagestani's last octagon appearance octagon came at UFC 254. Nurmagomedov took on interim champion Gaethje for the unification of the lightweight title and defeated him via submission in the second round. Following this, the 34-year-old announced his retirement from the sport.
Since retirement, 'The Eagle' has stepped into various business ventures. Apart from that, the 34-year-old has also taken up a coaching role and has been quite successful in it so far.
Javier Mendez compares Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev's striking skills
Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev are childhood friends and have been training together for years. While Nurmagomedov has already etched his name in MMA history, it is now Makhachev's turn to do the same.
Javier Mendez, who has coached both athletes at the American Kickboxing Academy, believes Makhachev is better than 'The Eagle' in the striking department. The 'Team AKA' coach recently iterated the same during an interview with MMA Junkie:
"Islam was smart enough to train with other people, he has great coaches at home that are working with him. His striking is further ahead than Khabib's ever was, only because of the fact that Islam was working year-round on his striking," said Javier Mendez.
Watch the full interview below:
Makhachev is currently on a 10-fight win streak in the UFC. This includes wins over fighters like Dan Hooker, Drew Dober, Bobby Green, Arman Tsarukyan, and Thiago Moises. The 31-year-old will now face Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight title at UFC280.