Watch: Khabib Nurmagomedov gets a shocking surprise inside his package, wants Islam Makhachev's
Khabib Nurmagomedov is considered to be among the greatest fighters in UFC history, but even he isn't unsusceptible for a jump scare prank. The 34-year-old Dagestan native was recently seen becoming the victim of a jack-in-the-box style practical joke.
Remaining undefeated, 'The Eagle' amassed a stunning 29-0 record as a professional fighter. Following his decision to retire from fighting in 2020, he transitioned to coaching. Nurmagomedov frequently works alongside coach Javier Mendez at the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA).
While they undoubtedly train hard at AKA, the members also seem to enjoy an occasional laugh at the expense of their distinguished coach.
In a throwback video recently posted to coach Mendez's YouTube channel, Khabib Nurmagomedov can be seen getting pranked by his teammates. The video shows 'The Eagle' being asked to open some oversized packages that had been delivered to the gym, and as he complies, a woman jumps out suddenly. He can be heard saying:
"I swear I think it's [a] dog coming."
While Nurmagomedov was certainly staggered momentarily, he cheerfully laughed it off. Later, the UFC Hall of Famer can be seen opening other gift boxes and playfully trying to get his hands on the box given to Islam Makhachev.
Watch the full video below:
Henry Cejudo describes Khabib Nurmagomedov as Islam Makhachev's "remote control"
Henry Cejudo recently weighed in on the influence Khabib Nurmagomedov has had on Islam Makhachev's fighting style.
The 31-year-old Dagestani successfully defended his lightweight belt against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284 recently. However, unlike many previous outings, Makhachev didn't have Nurmagomedov in his corner this time. 'The Eagle' recently announced his intention to step away from MMA entirely to focus on family.
In a recently uploaded video on YouTube, Cejudo and Demetrious Johnson recapped the super fight between Makhahcev and Volkanovski. During their analysis of the fight, the former two-division UFC champion broke down how Khabib Nurmagomedov could have made his protege change tactics during the fight. 'Triple C' stated:
"If there's somebody that could make those adjustments, it is gonna be Islam. And I think this time around, there's something about him and Khabib, that Khabib was kinda able to be that remote control for him, so exactly, 'Brother, brother, whatcha you do?'"
Watch the full video below:
After Nurmagomedov switched to coaching, he proved to be an immediate success. Under his supervision, Islam Makhachev and Usman Nurmagomedov captured the UFC and Bellator lightweight titles respectively.