Video summary
Training with Khabib Nurmagomedov is described as an unparalleled honor, offering a rare glimpse into the daily regimen of one of history's greatest fighters and human beings. The experience feels surreal for those who get to step onto his mats, where they can physically sense the weight of champions past and present surrounding them alongside legends like Alex Pereira and Amanda Nunes. Before diving into the session, the narrator even sought advice from former UFC champion Georges St-Pierre, receiving a stoic reminder that if one is training with Khabib, it might be best to simply accept whatever happens without complaint. The atmosphere is electric yet disciplined, filled with laughter mixed with intense physical exertion as participants realize they are in the presence of someone who has dominated at the highest level for years.
The core of the session revolves around Khabib's unique and relentless grappling style, which prioritizes overwhelming pressure over quick submissions or flashy techniques. Unlike typical sparring where a fighter might look to tap out quickly after being taken down, Khabib focuses on drowning his opponent in ground control, making it incredibly difficult for them to escape or regain their footing. This methodical approach forces opponents to work through immense physical fatigue and mental strain, as Khabib refuses to let anyone stand up once he has secured a dominant position. The pressure applied from the hips and legs is described as insane, creating an environment where even elite athletes struggle to maintain composure while trying to survive under such constant weight and control.
Beyond the physical toll, the training highlights Khabib's psychological warfare and his unwavering refusal to let opponents quit mentally or physically. He pushes fighters beyond their perceived limits by constantly moving them into positions of disadvantage and denying them any chance to rest or recover between scrambles. This relentless nature stems from a lifelong mindset cultivated since his teenage years, where he learned that true champions never stop pushing forward regardless of how tired they feel. The session serves as both an educational masterclass in wrestling fundamentals and a testament to Khabib's character, showing why he remains undefeated by demonstrating that success comes not just from skill but from the sheer will to endure hardship without giving up.
Read the full video transcript
All right, we're training with Khabib
today. One of the greatest fighters of
all time,
a great human being. It's honestly
unbelievable that I have the honor to be
able to train with these guys today. I
trained
with the team yesterday as well. Feel a
bit beat up.
I actually before this texted George,
GSP,
asking if he has any advice. I told him
I'm training with Khabib.
He said uh
if you die, you die.
Uh thank you very much for that advice,
George. I love you, brother.
You can tell on these mats has been
champion after champion after champion.
You can feel the history. I'm going to
do a podcast with Khabib tomorrow, so
this is epic. I'm uh
I'm the luckiest kid in the world, so.
All right, now we're going to get back
to training. Let's go.
Yes, it's his. I like my pain. I like
your laugh.
That guy is my brother Khabib.
He's my triple.
How you doing, buddy?
I was like, is that like Freedman? Nice
to meet you.
Wait? Yes.
I got to train tomorrow or training with
him.
Eight morning. Hey, same energy.
I think so. I always got to smile.
Big stuff.
You got some of the greatest of all time
on the mat right now. You got Alex,
Khabib, Amanda.
Talking, he's going to win. Just be
quiet and go to the mats.
He touched your wrong leg.
That?
Which which leg do I need to touch? Help
me.
That's cheating.
Okay, Alex. So so he does
>> [laughter]
>> He does the wrong leg.
He tried to run like nothing. I hope
it's big.
This is not going to end well.
This is heavy.
It's garbage.
Don't tell Alex.
Hold on, buddy.
I can't do anything.
This leg here, this pressure is
insane.
This leg has been making me heavy. If
you don't kill him, brother, you're
going to go on a podcast. Is he going to
give me some advice?
I think I should stop now. Huh? I think
I should stop now.
I can't do anything with you.
Tap, tap, tap.
I think you want to just yes me and you
today.
You're like a wave pool.
What's your favorite pool?
Yeah, wave pool.
Judo or what?
They have belts. Good point.
Yeah, master of sport. They have belts?
No belts. No belts. They have
They have levels. Yeah, yeah, yeah. They
have levels, but not
not belts.
Did you get them for competing?
That was great. Yeah, it was.
I told him this guy is not going to try
to submit you. He's going to make you
suffer. He don't try to submit people.
He's just drowning you, drowning you,
drowning you.
It's like the pressure. It's like It's
like you're going to be stressed. Like
the pressure, you know?
Yeah, I I scream inside my brain.
John
Smith, little single.
Hold on, that guy.
Oh, this.
I know he's fresh.
First round.
No, we'll go fight. Five minutes? Yes.
We'll be getting one more.
This time I'm going to
make you work.
I shouldn't have gone with him.
Last one.
Undefeated
Uh
No, I'm a heavy, first of all. Amazing
training partner.
No, no, but no injury. No injury. But
the heavy just heavy. Stay heavy. Stay
heavy. Stay heavy.
Quick shout out to Element. Thank you
for supporting this video. Element is my
go-to zero sugar electrolyte drink and
has been for many years. I bring these
uh Element packets everywhere I go. Uh
it helps me replenish electrolytes I
lose in training and fasting. Check them
out in the description,
drinkelement.com/lex.
All right, I'm back to training with
Khabib.
It's okay, go.
Okay, guys, finish, finish.
Keep going, keep going.
Thank you. Thank you.
Thanks for going again.
It's got to.
That's for my champ.
Wrong leg.
Now we getting at this club, okay?
Right.
All right.
Coming top of you, come on.
>> [bell]
>> Let's go.
Let's go, Alex.
You understand? Yeah.
Yeah, excuse his legs.
Now, for example, you move.
Move.
Move with that.
It's all this. Yeah. Yeah.
Nothing here.
That's it.
Let's go.
Let's go, Alex.
Listen.
Listen. Listen.
Let's go.
It's enough. Don't push.
Okay. Let's get over with. You
understand?
Listen.
Yeah, nice. Ooh.
Ooh.
And just hold that. Hold this one.
But this one is better. But
sometime when I want to push
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Go here. Go here.
Let me see.
Just stay.
I don't need to do nothing. You have to
You have to spend your energy to get up.
You understand?
You have to.
Why I have to force?
You understand? Make you work.
Make you work.
I give you my back.
Now I understand why people run.
Which one?
Hey, I need your side.
I need your side. I'm not sure what I'm
doing.
Let's go. Let's go. Let's go.
Move. Move. Move. Move. Move. Move.
I think move.
Move. Move. Move. Move. Move. Move.
Move. Move. Move. Move. Okay, move. I
think move. Move.
You grapple like wrestling match. This
is not grappling.
Oh. Oh, no. Happy people look. Look.
Be careful. Be careful, eh.
Be careful, son.
Hey, be careful.
So much pressure.
I never give him my back. Wallahi, I
never give him my shoulder for that
position. You agree or no, Islam?
Agree or no?
I didn't give him my back. So he give
him his back. Hey, in my ass. give him
your ass.
I'm all crying.
You can't tell, but the pressure in the
hips is insane.
>> You can't understand.
He's saying too.
He He
He You understand?
Pressure.
Watch it. Watch it. Watch it.
Hey, mad. You move.
Move. Move. Move. Move.
Hey, move.
Okay. You move first. You move first.
Hey, brother. He going to take this one.
He going to give you same position. You
know, I won't give him pressure.
Because I I play he play.
He can play with anybody anytime.
But I go
I want to show him a little bit
like pressure. You understand? Pressure.
Uh
Scramble after scramble.
And I put him in my position.
>> But you know what interesting? Many guys
stop. You don't never stop. You keep
going.
You not brother. You You real one. But
but but he feel. He feel. He feel. He
feel uh
psychologically he feel uh
All my life
All my life I feel psychologically I
can't want to give up.
He don't give you tap. He don't tap you.
He keep going. Sometime you tap and he
say start.
Mentally smash.
Has anyone ever done that to you?
The last time? This is me now.
You were your kids?
You know
since when I was uh
18 19, I was I was I always was against
high level guys. Because in my gym I
have always high level guys with who I
grew up. On the ground game, so they're
always
>> Brother, I know 12 years. This is true.
I never see somebody pass his guard or
take
Sometimes sometimes in gym I just come
change clothes. Sometimes
we go 1 and 1/2 hour nonstop.
120 110 1 hour 1 and 1/2 hour more than
1 hour nonstop. Maybe changing four five
opponents.
10 15 minutes another guy 10 15 minutes
another guy.
>> going. I keep going.
I used to eat like long time.
Long time. And what happens to you
mentally?
Mentally in my mind I was like thinking
how how somebody can make me make me
tired.
So you wanted to go on keep going all my
life. Keep going keep going keep going
keep going.
No Dan Gable the wrestler.
Yeah, he he said he always said that in
practice he wanted to go until he quits.
He never got there. He kept trying.
That's why he's the best. He was a
little bit He is a little bit Yeah. I
just come back from training camp. I
have training camp in Dubai. I have 25
people. I know I everyday I go morning
and night morning and night and all
champions.
Big big names. I know
if I feel I love it. No my body is very
good.
My body feel very good.
Sometime for some sometime when I travel
for one week yes I feel so bad because I
can only run and live because there is
no sparring partner.
And I miss him so much. I can tell you
still you still love it. I love it. I
can feel it. No no no I love it. I love
it. No I'm going to go Oh no.
Careful be careful with this. Because
be careful hey hey.
You know it's a lot of pressure but it's
a huge honor man. Just say one thing.
This witness this witness. When I go
with him he don't let me get up.
I'm all the time on this position.
When I shrink.
Oh like here here because if you go like
this Yes like this.
Yeah yeah yeah.
So it's good.
Yeah.
NO WAY MAN.
>> [laughter]
>> HE'S NOT SMALL GUY ANYMORE. No he feel
like 280 lbs.
It's it's incredible man.
That's shooting around with Michael
Jordan. It's my It's shooting with
Michael Jordan yeah. One of these like
one on one basketball at night with
Michael Jordan.
>> Yeah in the YMCA.
What do you think about it? Thank you.
It was good job.
Tomorrow we
work tomorrow.
Yeah we go together right? Yeah.