Jul 28, 2018; Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Islam Makhachev (blue gloves) defeats Kajan Johnson (red gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

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Islam Makhachev Shares Funny Training Camp Update As Khabib Nurmagomedov Joins Him For UFC 322

Training camps are grueling, exhausting, and sometimes miserable experiences for fighters. Cutting weight, drilling techniques repeatedly, and sparring with fresh bodies takes a toll. Islam Makhachev has been preparing for the biggest fight of his career at UFC 322. He will challenge Jack Della Maddalena for the welterweight title at Madison Square Garden on November 15.

The former lightweight champion vacated his 155-pound throne after four successful title defenses to chase two-division glory at 170 pounds. Makhachev has been training in New York at the Frankie Edgar Iron Army Academy, putting in the work necessary to capture another belt.

Everything was going smoothly for Makhachev until his coach and mentor arrived in town. Khabib Nurmagomedov flew into New York after cornering his cousin Umar Nurmagomedov to victory at UFC 321. Now ‘The Eagle’ has turned his full attention to preparing Islam for Della Maddalena. And as Islam Makhachev shared a funny training camp update as Nurmagomedov joined him, it’s clear that having the legendary coach around brings both benefits and some extra pain.

Islam Makhachev Jokes That Life Was Better Before Khabib Nurmagomedov Showed Up

When Khabib asked Makhachev how his UFC 322 preparation was going, Makhachev responded with perfect comedic timing.

“Everything was fine until you arrived two days ago.”

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It’s the kind of joke that only works between close friends who have been through countless camps together. Nurmagomedov didn’t accept the joke as a real answer and told Makhachev to respond properly. That’s when Islam got more serious about explaining the differences between this camp and his previous lightweight preparations.

The biggest change for Makhachev is the weight difference and how it affects his training partners. He pointed out that his current training partner Mukhamed Berkhamov weighs 91 kg. Before, he worked with guys who weighed 83-84 kg maximum. That’s a significant jump in size and strength that makes every grappling session harder and more physically demanding. Wrestling with naturally bigger welterweights forces Makhachev to adjust his technique and power output.

The Perks Of Moving Up In Weight

Despite the harder training sessions, Makhachev (27-1) did highlight one massive benefit of competing at welterweight. He revealed that he was always thinking about where and what to eat. Now, that problem doesn;t exist anymore.

“Just think, life has changed. I used to always think about where to eat dinner, what to eat. Now, it doesn’t matter. Just need to eat.”

Anyone who’s ever cut weight for combat sports understands exactly what he means. The constant mental energy spent calculating calories and avoiding certain foods disappears when they are not torturing themselves to make weight. At lightweight, Makhachev had to be extremely disciplined about every meal. Now at welterweight, he can eat more freely and focus his mental energy entirely on fight preparation rather than food restriction.

(Image Credit: Sergei Belski – Imagn Images)

Islam Makhachev

Khabib Nurmagomedov

UFC 322

Zaid Quraishi

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I am a dedicated MMA and Boxing content writer at The Playoffs. I was instantly hooked on MMA after watching the fight between Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi back in 2014, and since then, i have been an avid writer with a deep love for the sport and its techniques, providing readers with a thorough understanding of the sport. My favorite aspect of working at The Playoffs is the creative freedom it provides. The diverse range of topics, from listicles and SEO to news articles, keeps me engaged and motivates me to continuously improve my skills! I aim to capture the excitement of the combat sports world in my writing, acting as the middleman between fighters and their die-hard fans. It is kind of like a referee, but with words!