Watch: Khabib Nurmagomedov and Usman Nurmagomedov compete in a push-up contest
Khabib Nurmagomedov and his younger cousin brother Usman Nurmagomedov competed in a push-up contest judged by AKA (American Kickboxing Academy) head coach Javier Mendez.
The lighthearted video of the push-up contest between Khabib and Usman was posted on the Javier Mendez AKA Podcast YouTube channel. Mendez has worked alongside Khabib as his coach for many years.
Besides, Mendez has also coached other MMA fighters such as Usman Nurmagomedov, former Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh Thomson, former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold, former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier, and former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez.
Under the tutelage of Javier Mendez and his fellow AKA coaching faculty, the gym continues producing world-class fighters. One of its top prospects as of now is Khabib Nurmagomedov’s younger cousin Usman Nurmagomedov.
Boasting an undefeated professional MMA record of 11 wins and 0 losses, lightweight fighter Usman Nurmagomedov is one of the top up-and-comers in the sport of MMA today. Usman Nurmagomedov made his professional MMA debut in 2017 and has consistently improved ever since. Furthermore, in October 2020, it was revealed that Usman signed a multi-fight deal with Bellator MMA.
Needless to say, Usman is looking to follow in his older brother Khabib’s footsteps and rise to the top of the MMA world. Both fighters are well-known for their disciplined training regimens, and coach Javier Mendez posted a brief video on his YouTube channel reiterating the brothers’ commitment to their training.
Towards the end of the video, Javier Mendez, Usman, and Khabib Nurmagomedov joked about which of the latter two had the cleaner form in their push-ups.
Khabib Nurmagomedov continues his training despite his MMA future being uncertain
Khabib Nurmagomedov holds an undefeated professional MMA record of 29 wins and 0 losses. The Eagle’s last fight was a second-round submission victory over Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 in October 2020.
Nurmagomedov then announced his retirement from the sport of MMA, citing the fact that his mother doesn’t want him to continue his fighting career without his father in his corner. Khabib’s father and longtime coach Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov passed away in July 2020. The widely revered coach and Dagestan native wanted his son Khabib to go 30-0 and then retire.
However, after his father Abdulmanap’s passing, Khabib made the aforementioned promise to his mother and has retired from MMA. Moreover, UFC president Dana White – who met Khabib Nurmagomedov in Abu Dhabi last night – has now suggested that Khabib’s return to MMA is still up in the air.
White noted that Khabib Nurmagomedov has left the door open for a comeback and could return if he sees the UFC lightweight fighters do something impressive at UFC 257.