"There was no hot water, they washed themselves with ice": Ulanbekov on his fighting character, his debut in the UFC and Nurmagomedov's parting words

- The fight with Bruno Silva will be your debut not only in the UFC, but also on the international stage in general.

Have you already felt the difference in promotions and attitudes towards fighters?

- Yes, the UFC is in first place in terms of organization.

I was told about this before, but now I am convinced myself.

- You trained in Dubai with Khabib Nurmagomedov.

How was everything arranged there?

- We organized our own camp, held a three-week training camp.

It was a lot of fun, I liked it.

Now the guys have stayed there, in two or three weeks they will have their fights.

But Khabib and I are not the first time in the UAE, we come here as to our home.

Thanks to everyone who provides us with comfortable conditions, does everything so that we just train, eat and rest, not being distracted by anything.

- This is not your first training in the Nurmagomedov camp under the leadership of Javier Mendes ...

- Yes, we worked together many times.

Mendes is a very good coach, a professional in his field.

At the same time, he is a simple sympathetic person who will always correct your mistakes, know how to properly motivate.

- Khabib said that overly comfortable training conditions interfere with young fighters.

Do you agree with his opinion?

- Yes.

The athlete should always remain hungry.

Of course, comfort is easier to train, but tough conditions are necessary to develop character.

Many guys in our team remember that everything was different before.

- For instance?

- We did not have hot water, we had to swim and wash ourselves with ice cold.

There was no hall, you had to walk down an hour on foot, and then climb for another five hours.

Our late mentor Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov had a training program that consisted of working on stones.

We ran for three or four kilometers, and then performed a circular roll.

Of course, nothing supernatural, but he gave simple exercises that used everything that came to hand.

- As a student of Nurmagomedov Sr., you are expected to have a high level of wrestling.

How would you describe your style?

- It's no secret that we, his students, are inclined to struggle.

But if necessary, I can tinker in a rack, move, work.

There will be no problems if I fail to overwhelm my opponent.

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Publication from Tagir Ulanbekov (@tagir_ulanbekov) May 22, 2020 3:11 PDT

Most UFC fighters have nicknames.

You don't have it yet, but your friends call you "Taga".

Is it right for you?

- Honestly, I never thought about it before.

- Do you plan to learn English?

- Of course, it will be useful everywhere, all over the world.

When I was training in Las Vegas, I hired myself a tutor.

But all my free time was spent on preparing for the battle, so my studies had to be postponed a little.

After the fight with Silva, I will return home and take on her again.

- Who will be your seconds?

- Murad Machaev, Shamil Magomedov and my brother Akhmad Atavgadzhiev.

- What is the role of Machaev in your team?

- Recently he is our nutritionist, adjusts the weight, monitors nutrition.

Murad arrived in the UAE with his stove, saucepan, even a freezer.

Cooked for us while we were in quarantine. 

- Machaev is a former fighter himself.

How did he become a nutritionist?

- Yes, he performed at a professional level and perfectly understood what weight loss means.

After completing his career, he began to study this topic in more depth, gain experience.

I tried it a couple of times, it worked.

By the way, in Makhachkala, Murad has his own restaurant, which serves delicious burgers.

After the battle we will definitely go there.

- Do you see yourself in any business after the end of your career?

- We will see.

If it works out, I want to compete with Machaev

.

- Whom would you be interested in meeting in your flyweight division?

- With Joseph Benavides.

Of course, it's too early to talk about it, I have an rival, I need to make a successful debut in the UFC.

But I would be interested to try my hand at a duel with this guy.

I have been following him for a very long time, when he was just starting his career, he was already a professional.

- And if you do not limit yourself to your weight category, who is most impressed by you?

- Yoel Romero, Kane Velazquez, Daniel Cormier.

These guys are wrestlers, so it was always interesting for me to watch them.

- Several years ago Romero came to the tournament in Dagestan.

Did you follow him back then?

- No, but I remember how the guys talked about him.

Perhaps I was present at that tournament, but then I was not interested in it yet.

- Due to the need to comply with the quarantine, Nurmagomedov will not be able to be your second in Abu Dhabi.

What advice did he give you before leaving?

- He said that in front of me there will be the same cage as everyone else.

You need to calmly, on relaxation, go out and do your job.

That's all.

- Is this your battle plan?

- Yes.