Daniel Cormier was very skeptical when Islam Makhachev asked the former UFC champion to send his son off to Dagestan. The pair were talking about how Cormier’s son was getting into competitive wrestling, and Makhachev’s solution was simple: send him to Dagestan for a few years to train and forget about him. Everyone laughed at him at the time, but it seems he has finally been vindicated.
An Instagram account, Iamthebay just posted a video of his son’s transformation from a chubby little kid to a fighter. In the video, the child can be seen training with former lightweight champion and 29-0 undefeated fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov.
This ‘Then and Now’ version of the video begins with Khabib showing this kid what a proper stance was. It then switches to a teenage version of the same kid, now looking like a seasoned fighter.
The photographer captioned the post, thanking the likes of Khabib Nurmagomedov, Daniel Cormier, coach Javier Mendez, and the American Kickboxing Academy.
“How It Started vs. How It’s Going! Send 2-3 years to Dagestan and forget ! So thankful both my boys have been embraced by soo many! S/O @americankickboxingacademy @akajav @khabib_nurmagomedov @dc_mma @leandrovbteam @coach_antdawg @antdawgs_gym ! I know I’m missing a few my apologies!”, he said.
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It should be noted that the child didn’t actually go to Dagestan and trained at AKA in the USA. However, the point remains. Training with the Nurmagomedovs will turn anyone into a fighter. And there’s good reason for that.
A couple of years ago on the Joe Rogan podcast, Cormier revealed having sent his students to train with Khabib and co. in the mountains. When the kids returned, their testimonies left a mark on the former double champion.
“Bro, I took those kids when they were in seventh and eighth grade, and I sent them to Dagestan for a month…” he began explaining.
“Khabib [Nurmagomedov] had them in his gym every day, and Khabib is a great guy. He bought hotels for them. He’d feed them. He said, ‘Just get them here’“, DC added, revealing that the former champion took care of all their needs.
Elaborating on the kids’ experiences, DC added, “They trained for a month. They told me, ‘Coach, we practice with you. In Dagestan, it’s training… You are training all day”.
But while Cormier remains appreciative of Khabib’s abilities, the former champ hasn’t always returned the favor.
Khabib’s criticism of DC’s skills
To be fair, it was all in good humor. Before Islam was pulling DC’s legs and making fun of him for his weight, it was Khabib’s job to keep the room looking alive.
In an old clip from 2020, back when ‘The Eagle’ submitted Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 with a triangle choke to successfully defend his lightweight title, Cormier came to take all the credit.
“All those Jiu-Jitsu classes that I ran at the American Kickboxing Academy, paid off, congratulations”, he joked.
Khabib Laughs at Daniel Cormier’s Jiu-Jitsu
“Your legs too fat for triangle choke” pic.twitter.com/aXGJz3bBFL
— Lock-In Jiu-Jitsu (@lockinjiujitsu) November 18, 2024
Khabib immediately clapped back, “But tell people, you don’t teach this brother. Because you don’t know what is this triangle choke, your legs, no no. Your legs too fat for triangle choke.”
A shocked Cormier could not believe that after seeing him for the first time in 6 months, the first thing ‘The Eagle’ did was make fun of his weight.
Cormier, of course, laughed it off and congratulated Khabib, who had just retired from the sport on the night.
