Khabib Nurmagomedov explains why Islam Makhachev is training at Russian Olympic center and not Dagestan ahead of UFC 302

Ahead of Islam Makhachev's lightweight title defense against Dustin Poirier at UFC 302 on June 1, Khabib Nurmagomedov has shed light on why his teammate is training at the Russian Olympic Center in Kislovodsk, Russia, instead of their native Dagestan.

According to Nurmagomedov, the high altitude at the Olympic Center offers significant benefits for Makhachev's conditioning. Appearing in a recent UFC 302 Countdown video, ‘The Eagle’ said:

“We train here because very high altitude here. This is very good for [conditioning].”

He also noted that the constant attention Makhachev receives in Dagestan due to his fame can be disruptive. The Olympic Center provides a focused environment where Makhachev can train and rest without distractions.

“Second, you stay away from everything you have in Dagestan. It’s sometime when you very famous like Islam, for example, like myself, it’s very hard to be at home. It’s like so many people around you. And that’s why we move here. Here is like we have everything.”[19:30]

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Islam Makhachev opens up on training at his "Second Home" in Kislovodsk ahead of UFC 302

Appearing in the same video, Islam Makhachev revealed he feels right at home training at the Russian Olympic Center in Kislovodsk, Russia.

In the video, Makhachev explained:

“Because I’m born in the mountains, I live in the mountains. That’s why Kislovodsk and this training centre is my second home. All Olympic champions training here before. First time when I came to Olympic center, they don’t have the cage. I asked the director [to] put the cage because we need cage for the sparring and now I have everything here for the victory.” [18:55]

Check out the UFC Countdown video below:

In other UFC 302 news, a middleweight bout between Sean Strickland and Paulo Costa is scheduled to take place as the co-main event for the night.