Ikram
Aliskerov (15-1) claims Khabib
Nurmagomedov’s coaching style is similar to that of his
father.
Aliskerov is scheduled to fight Robert
Whittaker (25-7) in the UFC on ABC 6 headliner on June 22 at
Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Hailing from Dagestan,
Aliskerov often trains with former lightweight champ Khabib
Nurmagomedov and his protégé Islam
Makhachev. Like most other elite fighters from the region,
Aliskerov has also had had the privilege of training under
Nurmagomedov’s late father, Abdulmanap, who is widely regarded as
the pioneer of mixed martial arts in the region.
Aliskerov recently detailed what made Nurmagomedov arguably one of
the best coaches in the world. According to Aliskerov, it was
Abdulmanap’s emphasis on discipline over talent that set him
apart.
“You know the biggest thing about him and I always say this, he put
a huge emphasis on discipline,” Aliskerov told Shakiel Mahjouri.
“He even had this saying that ‘discipline always beats over class.’
So, it’s more important for him to be disciplined as opposed to
super skilful. So, I think that is something that all of us took
away from him. And that’s what made him his own.”
Khabib retired from the sport as an undefeated champion after his
father’s demise and stepped into coaching for his teammates and
cousins. While he had a successful stint, “Eagle” claimed to have
stepped away from the sport for good in January 2023, citing the
need to spend time with his family. However, the UFC Hall of Famer
recently returned to cornering duties for Makhachev’s title defense
against Dustin
Poirier at UFC 302 earlier this month. Nurmagomedov was seen
passionately guiding Makhachev as the latter went toe-to-toe
against Poirier before scoring a fifth-round submission win.
Nurmagomedov and Makhachev’s longtime coach at
American Kickboxing Academy, Javier Mendez, opined that “Eagle”
needs to turn it down a notch while coaching.
However, Aliskerov believes Nurmagomedov’s tough coaching regimen
is the result of him following in the footsteps of his father.
According to Aliskerov, Nurmagomedov, like his father, puts a huge
emphasis on discipline, which isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.
“Khabib is going down the same path, he is all about discipline as
well,” The 31-year-old said. “He also makes everybody else do the
amount of work that he had to do or he has to do still. So, not
everybody can really compete or hold on to that same level of work
that Khabib makes you do.”
While Makhachev currently sits atop the UFC’s pound-for-pound
rankings,
Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White has hailed
Jon
Jones as his P4P king over the Dagestani. But Aliskerov
disagrees without a strand of doubt. According to Aliskerov,
Makhachev’s recent activity trumps that of “Bones,” who has fought
only once since 2020.
“Of course it’s Islam, there’s no question about it,” Aliskerov
said. “I mean look at how many fights he has had in recent history.
He’s constantly staying active. Obviously, Jon Jones is a legendary
fighter, you got to give credit where credit is due. But just with
the amount of work and the amount of activity that Islam has, I
don’t think there’s anybody that can compete with his status.”
Aliskerov started his UFC journey with consecutive first-round
finishes and hasn’t lost since his lone pro defeat against Khamzat
Chimaev at Brave CF in 2019. Aliskerov stepped up on nine days’
notice to replace a sick Chimaev against Whittaker at UFC Saudi
Arabia.