Outside Source
Khabib (29-0) and teammates like Islam Makhachev started training at the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, California, early in their careers. While AKA California is headed by Javier Mendez, former UFC fighter Mike Swick opened up another branch of AKA in Thailand. As Thailand has evolved into an MMA hub over the years, AKA Thailand has hosted a plethora of elite UFC fighters. However, Khabib and his teammates never visited AKA Thailand.
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No Distractions
Swick recently revealed that Abdulmanap, a strict disciplinarian, had an issue with his fighters visiting Thailand. Abdulmanap was sceptical about the distractions in Thailand, which also provides a wide range of options for revelry. With Khabib now retired, Swick hopes the UFC Hall of Famer will consider visiting his gym.
“Khabib’s father always had an issue with coming to Thailand because of the distractions, so I don’t think Khabib’s ever going to come, and probably Islam and the close guys with Khabib,” Swick told Red Corner MMA. “We do get a lot of Dagestani guys that come to Thailand, but for some reason, his family didn’t want that distraction when he was in his career. Now he is not, maybe he will come. I would love it.”
AKA Thailand owner reveals Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov never allowed his fighters to train in Thailand because of potential distractions 👀😲
“Khabib’s father always had an issue with coming to Thailand because of the distractions, so I don’t think Khabib’s ever going to come, and… pic.twitter.com/9cUuvCnFkZ
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) January 11, 2026
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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