Almost every UFC fan knows that Khabib ‘The Eagle’ Nurmagomedov boasts an undefeated record in his UFC as well as pro-MMA career. But Khabib has also competed in combat sambo contests before transitioning to MMA. ‘The Eagle’ may have managed to maintain a clean sheet in his MMA career with no defeats. But a video has been going viral recently that revealed Nurmagomedov’s run in combat sambo may not be as dominant as his MMA career.
The noted UFC lightweight, Josh Thomson once talked to ‘The Eagle’ during the earlier stages of his career. Back then, the Dagestani revealed that he had competed in more than 250 combat sambo fights before making his way into MMA. The video that surfaced recently showcased that Nurmagomedov doesn’t have a clean sheet in combat sambo, as he maintains in his MMA career.
The YouTube video showcased ‘The Eagle’ locking horns against Ibrahim Magomedov in a combat sambo fight. Despite a rather evenly matched fight, the referee raised Magomedov’s hand in the end. Khabib dropped to the ground in despair of his defeat.
There are a few reports which mention that this was the only loss in ‘The Eagle’s’ career. He never lost any other fight till his retirement from all combat sports genres in October 2020. But several recent reports are also saying that The Dagestani is currently helping one of his bitter UFC foes with his training.
Khabib Nurmagomedov is reportedly helping Tony Ferguson with his ground game
‘The Eagle’ has thirteen UFC fights to his name. But none of his rivals had the answer to his unbelievably strong ground game. Also, his homeland of Dagestan, Russia is known for producing fighters with incredible ground prowess. This is why even one of his fierce UFC rivals, Tony Ferguson, reportedly chose him to improve his ground game. Several reports from Russian media houses are saying that ‘El Cucuy’ flew to Dagestan recently to train with ‘The Eagle’.
Well, UFC fans may remember that Nurmagomedov has already proved his mettle as a coach. Despite Javier Mendez’s presence, it was apparent that Nurmagomedov acted as the current UFC lightweight champ, Islam Makhachev’s coach and mentor at the same time. ‘The Eagle’ left the side of his bosom friend only after ensuring that he had become the UFC’s lightweight king. Ferguson’s fans will expect him to turn around ‘The Boogeyman’s’ fate in a similar way.
