- How long ago did you arrive in the UAE?
- I flew to the Emirates on September 10, and I am directly in Abu Dhabi for the fourth day (the interview took place on Thursday.
- RT
).
Haven't been here since last year, although I was going to come on vacation.
Quarantine is not allowed.
- Who is on your team?
- Islam Mamedov, Haji Rabadanov, Islam Makhachev, Umar Nurmagomedov, Usman Nurmagomedov, Abubakar Nurmagomedov, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Javier Mendes came with me.
We have a big team.
Perhaps he didn't even name someone right now.
- Is everyone responsible for their own area of training?
- My trainer and nutritionist Murad Machaev is in charge of boxing.
When I fly to America, Javier is in charge.
But I haven't been there for a long time.
Islam Makhachev helps with the fight.
If possible, Khabib looks and prompts.
- Who will be in your corner during the fight?
- Initially, there were three seconds for me: Khabib, Islam and Javier.
But Mendes did not manage to fly to Abu Dhabi.
He is now preparing his guys for fights in Dubai.
The third will be my coach from Russia.
- Last time Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov was here with you, now he is not. How does its absence feel?
- I felt more confident when he was around.
I knew that if something didn't work out for me, Abdulmanap Magomedovich would never leave me.
He always helped, set up and supported.
Once I could not lose weight, I started to get nervous.
Abdulmanap came, suggested and corrected the mistakes of my assistants.
And now, when problems arise, I think that if Nurmagomedov Sr. was near, I would trust him.
But life is like that, nothing can be done about it.
Today there is a man, but tomorrow he is no longer with us.
- How did Khabib change after his father's death?
- Abdulmanap Magomedovich tried to convey his experience to the whole team.
But Khabib, like his son, took over more than others.
And now it is felt.
He gives a lot of advice during training.
We trust Khabib as much as we trust Abdulmanapu.
- You attended the tournament in memory of Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, where Usman Nurmagomedov performed. How can you assess him as a fighter? Your manager says that he will be better than Khabib ...
- I cannot say with certainty whether this is so.
Usman really has good data and great potential.
Like all Nurmagomedovs, he is good both in the ground and in the standing position.
11 victories without defeat also speak volumes.
I think Usman will soon show himself at the highest level.
- How do you assess the chances of Umar Nurmagomedov against Sergey Morozov?
- Umar is a good fighter, but Morozov will become a serious challenge for him.
I am sure we will have a spectacular duel.
- You have a fight with Hakim Davodu. This is possibly your most dangerous opponent in the UFC. What can you say about him?
- To be honest, I don't see anything supernatural in him.
There are no invincibles.
And Hakim can be outplayed both in standing and in wrestling.
The fact that he is considered a good fighter only adds to my motivation.
Including thanks to my attitude, I will go out and show my best fight.
- At a press conference, Davodu said that he will soon defeat the second member of the Khabib team. The first was Marat Magomedov. Chatting with him? Do you want to take revenge on Hakim for him?
- Once I told Marat that I would avenge him.
Everything happens in sports.
Today you win and tomorrow you lose.
Davoda can say anything, but the cage will put everything in its place.
Let's see what he shows.
I myself am not going to talk a lot, otherwise I might be ashamed in front of the fans.
I only know that I will only go forward and fight to the last.
- Davodu said that he knows you exclusively as the person who hit Conor McGregor.
- And I learned about the existence of Hakim Davodu after they put him in my rivalry.
Then only the guys told about his fight with Marat.
You don't have to be known to everyone.
But Hakim will soon recognize me very well.