Islam Makhachev jokes about why Khabib Nurmagomedov trains with them daily - "That's why he joins with us everywhere"

Islam Makhachev recently made a good-spirited jab as to why his long-time friend and mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov trains regularly despite being officially retired from mixed martial arts.

In a recent appearance on Pound 4 Pound with Kamaru & Henry, the UFC lightweight champion said that 'The Eagle' still trains with them every day. Furthermore, the pound-for-pound king joked that delicious food is what motivates Nurmagomedov to keep up with regular training:

"This guy misses fighting, my fight camp. That's why he joins with us everywhere... He loves to train. Every day he trains, not just when he is with us, every day this guy is training. He has a house in the village, he has a house in the city. Both houses have saunas, both houses have very good gyms, swimming pools, this guy is training every day. For the good dinner, he has to train."

Catch Islam Makhachev's comments below (54:00):

Nurmagomedov is one of the most dominant champions in UFC history. 'The Eagle' retired in 2020 with an undefeated record of 29-0, while he was still the undisputed lightweight champion.

Makhachev captured the 155-pound belt almost two years after his friend's retirement. The Dagestani is now set to clash against the No.4-ranked contender Dustin Poirier at UFC 302 in Newark, New Jersey.

'The Eagle' holds a win over Poirier and it would be interesting to see how 'The Diamond' would match up against Makhachev, who also employs a grappling-heavy game much like the undefeated MMA legend.

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Islam Makhachev on how a fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov would play out

While Islam Makhachev is the pound-for-pound best UFC fighter in the world, the 32-year-old still considers Khabib Nurmagomedov as a superior fighter to him.

In an appearance on SuperSaf Speaks, the lightweight superstar credited all his success to Nurmagomedov, while explaining why 'The Eagle' is an unstoppable force in the octagon:

"This guy showed me all the roads, how I have to train, how I have to live, what I have to do and this guy is more professional. This guy has very big experience in this sport. Even right now, when he is retired, he is still in very good shape... We have competed many times. We have done like more than a thousand rounds in the gym. He is my hardest opponent, you know, always. We have crazy rounds. Nobody can stop Khabib in the cage. [Not] even me."

Catch Islam Makhachev's comments on Khabib Nurmagomedov below: