"You guys don’t understand" - Islam Makhachev reveals untold stories of Khabib Nurmagomedov’s coaching

Islam Makhachev will have longtime friend and teammate Khabib Nurmagomedov in his corner for his UFC 311 lightweight title fight against Arman Tsarukyan. Since retiring from MMA in 2020, 'The Eagle' has taken up a role as a coach, and has been seen at MMA events across the world helping teammates.

The former champion's late father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, grew into one of the sport's most legendary coaches during his son's reign as the UFC lightweight king. His unfortunate passing in 2020 saw his role taken over by 'The Eagle', and since, the pair have been compared as coaches on numerous occasions.

Makhachev, who trained under the watch of Abdulmanap for many years, was asked to share some insights into what training under the former lightweight champion was like ahead of his clash with Tsarukyan.

He said this:

"He corners everybody, not just in the fight, but in the sparring. Sometimes he goes crazy when he corners somebody in the gym as well. When somebody doesn't listen to him, to his advice, he goes crazy. He's really hard. Maybe some of you guys don't understand, but when you corner someone close to you, your friends, it's really hard because you're nervous. You cannot sleep after the fight because you are empty, the emotion, the people, crowd, you're gonna be empty."

Check out Islam Makhachev's comments below (20:50):

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Islam Makhachev explains what separates team Khabib Nurmagomedov from everyone else

Islam Makhachev believes that the team assembled by his close friend and teammate Khabib Nurmagomedov is the best MMA unit in the world. There are several well-known MMA gyms globally, such as American Top Team and Xtreme Couture, which all house elite talent.

But the lightweight champion believes that "team Khabib" surpasses any other. Ahead of his UFC 311 title defense against Arman Tsarukyan on Jan. 18, the 33-year old was interviewed by Shakiel Mahjouri, where he explained what separated his team from the rest.

He said this:

"We have best team in the world. That's why we have lot of top guys. We have lot of high-level fighters. We have the best team, best coaches, and important thing, they all wish each other the best, you know? We here to help each other. We have more than 20 people here, and everybody come to help, not for money, not for nothing, just help to our brother, to our friends to be champion."

Check out Islam Makhachev's comments below (8:00):