Outside Source
Nurmagomedov recently revealed that the most challenging bout of his career was against Justin Gaethje in 2020. The Russian successfully defended his lightweight title by putting Gaethje to sleep with a triangle choke in the second round. While Nurmagomedov says he has never been pushed to his limits in a fight, he admits Gaethje came close.
Khabib explains why Justin Gaethje presented the toughest challenge of his undefeated career
The fight was the toughest for Nurmagomedov due to several factors leading up to it. Most importantly, “The Eagle” lost his father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, to Covid-19 before the bout. He claims it was difficult to stay composed after losing the person he was fighting for in the first place.
The training camp was also hard, as Nurmagomedov battled several injuries. However, the Ultimate Fighting Championship Hall of Famer managed to stay mentally sharp throughout.
“In fights, no, you’ve never seen my limit in fights. Gaethje came closest to it. First and foremost, it was because I had lost my father,” Nurmagomedov told Lex Fridman. “It was hard to pull myself together. Everything piled up at once; my father was gone. Training without my father, without the person I was doing this for, the person I wanted to become champion for, to prove to him that I could become the best. Physically, I was not in the best shape; I had injury after injury after injury. But, mentally speaking, I stayed completely sharp.”
Nurmagomedov (29-0) has also previously acknowledged Gaethje as the hardest hitter he has ever faced. The Dagestani legend had promised his mother to never fight without his father in his corner. UFC CEO Dana White tried to convince him otherwise but couldn’t entice Nurmagomedov to return to the Octagon.
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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