Khabib Nurmagomedov not to train in AKA for his fight against Justin Gaethje at UFC 254
Khabib Nurmagomedov at aka
Javier Mendez says Khabib will not be training at American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) this time. He is looking to train solely in his homeland of Russia.
Khabib’s Next Fight
Reigning UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov will be back in action on October 24 at UFC 254, as he defends his belt against surging contender and interim champion Justin Gaethje.
Many fans and experts believe this might be Khabib Nurmagomedov’s biggest test inside the octagon yet considering Gaethje’s pushing forward style and college wrestling pedigree. With the bout scheduled in October, Khabib Nurmagomedov is looking to start his preparations for Gaethje soon.
Not training at AKA ?
But according to his coach Javier Mendez, Khabib will not be training at American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) this time. He is looking to train solely in his homeland of Russia. This will be the first time in his career Khabib Nurmagomedov won’t train at AKA for his fight
And the main reason for this decision is that the lightweight champion is not comfortable in traveling to the west coast of the United States at the moment because of the global outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, especially the surge of recent cases on the west coast. And the fact that his father passed away after contracting COVID-19, Khabib Nurmagomedov’s decision is justified.
Mendez’s Statement
“What I do know is that [COVID-19] is too high in California, and Khabib is not comfortable coming here to train. So I’m gonna go to Dagestan and train over there,” said Javier Mendez, Khabib’s head coach
The venue of the UFC 254 is yet to be announced but Mendez mentioned that he is ready to travel anywhere “The Eagle” decides to train before his 29th professional fight.
“I don’t know where the fights gonna be for sure, but I know this. I’m going to him. That’s a hundred percent. I’m going to go to Dagestan or wherever he chooses to go. We’re not training in San Jose,” Mendez said. “We’ve got two choices, right? Las Vegas or Fight Island. I’m thinking what did they make Fight Island for, but they haven’t said it yet,” he added.
Khabib Vs Gaethje
Khabib Nurmagomedov hasn’t fought since defending his title successfully for the 2nd time at UFC 242 against Dustin Poirier in Abu Dhabi. After the recent and very tragic demise of Khabib Nurmagomedov’s father, mentor, and coach Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, the Russian’s fighting future looked very uncertain.
Gaethje stepped in to replace Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 249 as the Russian couldn’t travel to the US due to COVID-19. “The Highlight” put on a stellar performance as he defeated Tony Ferguson to capture the interim lightweight title.
Also Read: Dana White Prefers GSP on commentary rather than in the octagon vs Nurmagomedov
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