According to Khabib
Nurmagomedov, there’s a major difference between Dagestani
wrestling and American wrestling.
The debate has taken on added significance as Nurmagomedov prepares
to defend his undisputed lightweight crown against interim king
Justin
Gaethje in the
UFC 254 main event on Saturday. Gaethje has been known as a
dangerous striker throughout his MMA career, but those skills are
backed by a wrestling pedigree that saw him earn NCAA All-American
honors at the University of Northern Colorado.
“I didn’t watch any tape on Kahbib. I’ve watched his fights
thoughout his career because I’m a huge fan of MMA. But I didn’t go
back when I got him as an opponent to analyze him,” Gaethje said at
UFC 254 press conference on Wednesday. “I’ve always focused on
being my best self. He hasn’t fought somebody who has wrestled or
grappled as long as he has. That is me, I have.
“Everyone says they’re ready [for Nurmagomedov]. I will not allow
him to put me on the fence. If I do, I’m screwed. My plan is if he
wants to grapple, let’s grapple in the middle. I cause damage. I
have dense bones. I’m gonna kick his legs. That’s where it’s gonna
start and I move on from there.”
Still, Nurmagomedov insists that his brand of grappling is a
different than that of Gaethje or American Kickboxing Academy
training partner Daniel
Cormier, who didn’t utilize his wrestling often during a
heavyweight trilogy against Stipe
Miocic.
“People ask me what is the difference between Dagestan wrestling
and American wrestling. This is a good question. I think it’s a big
difference,” Nurmagomedov said. “I know [Gaethje] knows how to
wrestle. We’re [Dagestani wrestlers] about wrestling 25
minutes.
“I told ‘DC’ today: When you fight with Stipe Moicic last time you
grabbed his leg one time and you take him down and he get up very
quickly and that’s it and you finish….Between me and ‘DC’ is big
difference. If I’m gonna try to take him down once, I’m gonna go
all night. This is big difference between U.S. wrestling and
Dagestan wrestling.”
Nurmagomedov has an approach set in his mind, and it’s not
something from which he plans to stray when faced with the
offensive arsenal of his opponent. What’s that approach include?
Lots and lots of wrestling.
“I think he has dynamite on his hands, very good kicks. They [are]
all good when they stand up,” Nurmagomedov said. “But when I grab
them it change a little bit. I think more than Dustin and Conor, he
know how to wrestle. It’s gonna be a little bit hard, but I prepare
myself to try to take him down 100 times. It’s gonna be very
interesting Saturday night.”
Once he begins to wear on Gaethje, Nurmagomedov is confident his
adversary won’t be as dangerous as the fight progresses.
“He always be ready fast. First round he’s very dangerous,”
Nurmagomedov said. “ I think him and Conor are two most dangerous
guys in the first round. But if you talk about second round, third
round, they become regular fighters.”