"Who the f*ck is this guy?"- UFC legend shares first impression of meeting Khabib Nurmagomedov, reveals how he brought 'The Eagle' under his program
A former UFC middleweight champion shared his first impression of when Khabib Nurmagomedov joined his gym. The individual trained with Khabib Nurmagomedov at American Kickboxing Academy under coach Javier Mendez.
‘The Eagle’ is busy training his disciples and close friend Islam Makhachev for UFC 311, as three fighters from his camp are set to compete at the event. Nurmagomedov, known for his strong work ethic and discipline, retired after successfully defending his lightweight title against Justin Gaethje at UFC 254. He then began following in the footsteps of his late father by pursuing a career in coaching.
In a recent appearance on the JAXXON podcast, former middleweight champion Luke Rockhold was asked about his first impression of Nurmagomedov. Rockhold revealed he was impressed by the former lightweight champion's work ethic and how he brought him into his training program.
“He [Khabib Nurmagomedov] was tough, man. He showed up by himself, and I was like, Who the f**k is this guy? He was just tough, you know? Running around, just like... you liked his determination. You were like, I want to test this guy. This guy's confident in himself."
“He was just there, so I thought, I kind of want to bring him under my program. I was training for a fight, and he was getting ready for one too, so we started working out, doing training sessions together, doing sprints together, just working a lot. You always want someone to push you in training camp, someone who’ll push you harder and further. And Khabib was that guy that I just... I united with. I needed him.” he added.
Check out Luke Rockhold’s comments below (35:20):
Luke Rockhold compares coaching styles of Khabib Nurmagomedov and Javier Mendez
Luke Rockhold, who has been coached by both Khabib Nurmagomedov and Javier Mendez, drew a comparison between their coaching styles during his appearance on Submission Radio.
Rockhold emphasized Khabib's work ethic and Javier's focus on striking aspects. He said:
"Oh, I mean it's completely different, yeah. Khabib (Nurmagomedov) is very calculated you know, very, like, reserved. And it's more about the work ethic and just the grind and everything like that, you know. Javier's (Mendez) more of the striking aspect of things and Khabib wants to push you to your better ends, to your death."
Check out Luke Rockhold’s comments below (18:19):