For nearly a decade, Team Khabib and the fighters from the Caucasus region have been dominating Western MMA.
Khabib Nurmagomedov cemented his legacy as one of the greatest UFC fighters ever. ‘The Eagle’ retired undefeated in 2020 with a 29-0 record and continues to coach his peers to greatness, including his core proteges Islam Makhachev and Usman Nurmagomedov.
Whether work ethic, stylistic matchups, or being ‘built different,’ many fans and pundits ruminate on what makes Team Khabib so elite, and the latest to offer their opinion is legendary UFC commentator and podcaster Joe Rogan.
Joe Rogan credits ‘religious framework’ to Team Khabib’s success
Speaking on his podcast, Rogan cited Team Khabib’s religious devotion as “one of the keys” to their success.
“I think for a lot of people it helps them become successful,” Rogan said. “I think having a religious framework helps you become successful. I think it’s one of the keys to these Dagestan fighters in the UFC.
“They’re so religious and devout that they’re so disciplined, that they don’t deviate from the path at all. Because of that, they just keep winning.”
Team Khabib’s brutal training regiments
Speaking to Bloody Elbow, Team Khabib teammate Ibragim Ibragimov detailed Usman Nurmagomedov’s brutal training methods. To get the most out of their training, they do a shark-tank-style workout similar to Alexander Volkanovski and Israel Adesanya at City Kickboxing in New Zealand.
“[…] These are the hard times. When he [Usman] runs the class,” Ibragimov said. “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.”
Like father like son, Nurmagomedov uses hardcore training methods from his late father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov. This includes mandatory haircuts and phones locked away in lockers if athletes wish to train under their roof. This is to combat distractions.
Fighters get a swift whip to the backside if they violate the code.