Undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov protege Ibragim Ibragimov reveals brutal training method that helped make Islam Makhachev and more world champions
01/14/2025 08:27 AM
Khabib Nurmagomedov’s training camps in Dagestan are nothing short of the most gruelling in combat sport.
Top level fighters including UFC world champions have bemoaned the intensity that is demanded of anybody who steps through the doors of the gym once owned by his father Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov. But if a fighter can survive, it tends to bode well for them in MMA.
This is true of the creme de la creme; Khabib trains the lightweight champions of Bellator, PFL and UFC in Usman Nurmagomedov, Gadhzi Rabadanov and Islam Makhachev. But even young prospects are feeling the effects, such as undefeated PFL starlet Ibragim Ibragimov.
- Who is Khabib Nurmagomedov?Inside the life of the most dominant UFC fighter of all time
Ibragim Ibragimov details the brutal training sessions in Dagestan
Heading into PFLs’s first Champions Series show in Dubai next week, Ibragim Ibragimov has relocated his training from his home base at Manchester Top Team to Dagestan. He is working alongside Usman Nurmagomedov, who is preparing to defend his Bellator title against Paul Hughes.
And while Khabib Nurmagomedov is with Islam Makhachev and Umar Nurmagomedov in Los Angeles for UFC 311, his training methods are very much being upheld in the camp. They undergo intensive daily training, with fighters who have a bout booked in bearing the brunt of the pressure.
“We’re training together and sometimes [Usman] runs the classes,” he told Bloody Elbow in an exclusive chat ahead of the January 25 fight night. “Oh my God, these are the hard times. When he runs the class, all the guys that are preparing for the fights go on the wall.
“Then everybody gets five people in a group and all five of the people will swap. One minute it’s one guy, the next minute someone fresh, another minute fresh guy, they’re all trying to take you down on the wall, then after five minutes you get a minute’s rest and those five people, all fresh, you’re attacking them.
“You have to try and take them down as well, fresh person, fresh person, every minute. That’s ten rounds of one minute with a new partner every minute. After ten minutes you get one minute’s rest and then you get in the centre and it’s full wrestling with five more fresh guys. It’s 15 minutes, it’s crazy.”
Ibragim Ibragimov explains why Dagestani fighters succeed so much in MMA
A big selling point in the build-up to this event has been the re-igniting of the Ireland vs Dagestan feud that began with Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov’s infamous feud. Ibragimov is playing a keen part in that, taking on Dubliner Kenny Mokhonoana on the undercard.
And he notes that the statistics tend to back up Dagestan as one of the greatest sporting regions in the world given their ratio of population to world champions. “These are the facts,” he added. “People were going crazy when Khabib said that [Dagestan has much more great fighters than Ireland].
“He never mentioned Russia and people were saying about Russia’s population, but no. He’s talking about Dagestan where we have less people than Ireland and how many champions are from Dagestan? Olympic champions, MMA fighters, all over, every organization the champions are from Dagestan.
“Maybe we have a different mindset, I think. We’ve got that hunger, all the Dagestani people are hungry for winning and trying to achieve something in their life because not many people there have money and stuff like that.
“People are grinding and training to make money for their family and feed their families, I think that’s the most different thing between us and other people.”
- Who is Islam Makhachev?Step inside the life of the pound-for-pound best fighter on the planet
