Khabib Nurmagamedov Proves That He’s a Match For Light-Heavyweight Luke Rockhold With Training Pictures Released…
Daniel Cormier has said in the past that Khabib Nurmagamedov trains with heavyweights and light-heavyweights and can compete with them. The Russian fighter is set to take on Conor McGregor in the main event of UFC 229, in Las Vegas’s T-Mobile Arena on October 6.
It looks like preparations are going very well. With elite teammates like Daniel Cormier and Luke Rockhold, The American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, California is one of the most exciting and dominant gyms in mixed martial arts today.
There’s definitely a far bigger talent-pool for Khabib to train with, unlike McGregor who has to ship in his own training partners if he wants to mix things up. It’s going to be fascinating to see if either of these fighters can dominate the other when they eventually clash in what will be the fight of the year.
https://instagram.com/p/BnCo_fHnOWK/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_loading_state_control
Dominant
In the pictures above you can see Nurmagamedov training with former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold. In the wildest of the images, Khabib slings his training partner over his shoulders without breaking a sweat. To put that in perspective, Rockhold is expected to move up to light-heavyweight for his next fight. That’s four weight divisions higher than Khabib’s. The caption reads:
“Always happy to see the champ @lukerockhold in the gym, good energy, hard train, and always push me. #rockhold.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bm5vuq5nAWK/?taken-by=khabib_nurmagomedov
Grudge Match
There remains a doubt that Khabib can compete with the very best. He’s built up an incredible record of 26-0 but has not fought the level of opposition that McGregor has. Edson Barboza and Michael Johnson are probably the best two that he has fought, but they aren’t exactly Jose Aldo, Chad Mendes or Jose Aldo.
However, Khabib is doing what McGregor has never done: defending his title. The Irishman was a figure of derision for failing to defend any of his four belts (in Cage Warriors and the UFC). McGregor actually broke the record for most consecutive days without a title defense.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BnFzeYuH6zW/?taken-by=khabib_nurmagomedov
Intense Rivalry
UFC President Dana White believes that this fight could sell over 3 million pay-per-views. In this world of illegal online streaming that would be an absolutely spectacular figure, although it does seem a bit ambitious. It’s the culmination of what has become an intense and toxic rivalry. It will definitely break records for illegal viewers.
And guess what? It’s just about 5 weeks away.
