Khabib Nurmagomedov: preference

Transcript context

…Well, we’ve talked about different athletes, about Umar, but now let’s talk about Islam Makhachev, one of your closest brothers, who’s at the very top of the world. You’ve known each other. You’ve trained together for more than 20 years. In your opinion, what makes him such a special wrestler and fighter? Why has he reached such heights? Why is he a great fighter? Well, let’s start with the fact that Islam has been doing this for his whole life, since childhood. And I’ve known him since childhood too. We went to the same school, lived in the same neighborhood, trained at the same gym, and he was my father’s student. And it’s worth mentioning, he was one of my father’s favorite students. One of the best students. My father saw in him this potential for greatness in how hard he trained. That’s what I was talking about at the beginning of the podcast. When you go into the dark, uncomfortable room and stay there for a long time, no matter how hard it gets. He knew how to make sacrifices. He was very disciplined. Nobody reaches this level by accident. It’s impossible without exceptional natural gifts. And he has them. He’s gifted. Allah blessed him with those gifts. And he’s deeply devoted to what he does. We basically grew up together, right? I’m three years older than Islam. And I was always a little bigger, a little older than him. So when we were amateurs, I competed in slightly heavier weight classes. But we worked together a lot. And Islam benefited tremendously from training with me. We trained together for many years. And he never had to go anywhere to find a sparring partner because he always had one in the gym. So I developed by training with the older guys in the gym, the stronger guys, the better guys when I was young. Then when they left, I was the one in front. Islam kept growing, growing, growing. Now I left. Islam is the one in front. And now other guys are developing through him. This is a kind of chain that exists in a gym, in a training system that produces the best fighters in the world. And in this chain, Islam was always behind me. If I was behind someone, Islam was behind me. Now others are following. Islam, Usman, Amru, and other guys. You could put them against any of the best fighters in the world right now, and they would perform very well. So in this chain we’ve had since 2003, and now it’s already 2026, that’s 23 years. Islam was the one coming up behind me. And now there are younger guys coming up behind Islam. And it’s no secret that Islam will turn 35 in October. But what makes me happy is that there are younger guys coming up behind him. I left. Islam stepped in. One day Islam will leave too, and others will take his place. And this cycle, it never ends. It keeps going, and it keeps pulling the next generation forward. At the beginning, a lot of people are involved. But as you gradually climb higher, higher, and higher, the road gets narrower, and fewer and fewer people remain. s pulling the next generation forward. At the beginning, a lot of people are involved. But as you gradually climb higher, higher, and higher, the road gets narrower, and fewer and fewer people remain. And alongside Islam, a lot of guys were developing while training with me. But Islam made it all the way because of his work ethic, his discipline, and let’s call it sacrifice. He gave up a lot to reach this level. This isn’t easy. You have to make sacrifices. You have to make sacrifices. You have to give up parties. You have to sacrifice sleep. You have to sacrifice your time. There are so many things you have to give up. You have to dedicate your entire life to this sport, putting aside all the things that can distract you. You train, you sleep, you eat, you wake up, and then you do it all over again. Only then can you reach the level that Islam reached. That’s what makes him unique.…

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