As a coach, Khabib Nurmagomedov is known to be extremely strict, and Belal Muhammad recently got to see first-hand just how tough Nurmagomedov’s training can be.
Extreme Couture head coach Eric Nicksick recently detailed Nurmagomedov’s “invitation-only” training sessions at the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas. According to Nicksick, Nurmagomedov’s training sessions are extremely rigorous, with everyone focused on training from start to finish. Nicksick acknowledges that he has gained valuable insight from these practices in terms of modifications he can implement in his own gym.
“It’s invitation only, very serious, but very disciplined. There’s no music, there’s no trash talking, so they’re not there to trash talk each other or joke around,” Nicksick told Red Corner MMA. “From the moment you step on the mat to the moment you step off the mat, it’s work. I learned a lot about how to improve some of the things we do at Extreme.” [Couture].”
Nicksick went on to recount an episode where Muhammad learned a lesson from Nurmagomedov in a harsh but humorous way. Nurmagomedov was not happy that “Remember the Name” brought a stranger, uninvited, to practice. Nurmagomedov appeared to be joking while telling Muhammad, but you could tell the former UFC lightweight champion was serious at the same time. Nurmagomedov eventually allowed Muhammad to practice, but not without checking. This got Nicksick thinking about his own flexibility in letting people into Xtreme Couture.
“The funny thing is, Belal Muhammad was bringing in guests that didn’t have Khabib’s permission and was just as unhappy about it as Khabib was,” Nicksick said. “I found myself opening the door too much at times. [for] A lot of people come and train, they’re not screened through the system, and I was impressed with how he handled that situation.
“It seemed like he was joking, but he wasn’t. He meant it. Belal said, ‘Uh, sorry,’ and then he said, ‘I don’t know who this guy is.’ Khabib and I are sitting here and he looks at me and says, ‘Well, Eric, you’re letting a guy you don’t know into your gym? You’re going to fight one of your guys?’ It was funny because it was like he’d punked Belal in front of everybody. Obviously Khabib let him keep training. There was a process there.”
