Flashback Video! Khabib Forces Abubakar To Stay In Cryotank

Abubakar Nurmagomedov has had a career of preparation leading into tonight (Sat., June 3, 2023) at UFC Vegas 74 live on ESPN/ESPN+ from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, and it includes a relationship with Khabib Nurmagomedov that has lasted years.

Abubakar will find himself locked inside of the cage against Brazilian veteran Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos later tonight in Las Vegas, but the Russian fighter has been preparing his entire career for moments like this. As one of Khabib’s teammates and training partners over the years Nurmagomedov has had the privilege of learning alongside one of the best.

Over the years Khabib has helped prepare Nurmagomedov for UFC competition. This includes an infamous recovery session in which Khabib forced Abubakar to stay locked inside of a cryotank. Nurmagomedov was freezing and pleading to get out, but Khabib motivated him to stay in just a little longer and make it count. It was a cruel reminder of just how mentally tough you need to be in this sport.

Check it out below:

This occurred back in July 2019, which was four months before Abubakar’s UFC debut. He ended up losing to David Zawada via first-round submission at UFC on ESPN+ 21 in November of that same year. Nurmagomedov has since bounced back with consecutive decision wins over Jared Gooden and Gadzhi Omargadzhiev. He’ll need to do a little more, though, if he wants to push for a top 15 spot, but the track record for success is there.

After all, Abubakar has had Khabib in his corner for the majority of his career. Even if the “The Eagle” isn’t soaring cageside anymore Nurmagomedov still draws inspiration from Khabib. We’ll see if Abubakar is able to extend his win streak Saturday night in Vegas and live up to his own potential.

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