The PFL Street to Dubai occasion on February 7 will function a coming-out get together for Crew Khabib, with a set of Dagestani-based fighters competing throughout a number of bouts with ambitions to stake their declare inside the promotion’s divisions. The cardboard will characteristic three fighters educated immediately underneath Khabib Nurmagomedov on the Abdulmanap Martial Arts College, every working at totally different phases of their careers however united by the identical demanding coaching philosophy.
Crew Khabib Goals to Make Assertion at PFL Dubai with A number of Dagestani Fighters
In a latest interview, Coach Khabib defined, “I really need folks to concentrate,” he stated. “I don’t assume many individuals on the planet can beat these guys. Possibly one, two, three can provide them a tough time, however not many.”
The flagship efficiency comes from undefeated PFL Light-weight World Champion Usman Nurmagomedov, who returns to defend his title in opposition to 2025 PFL Light-weight World Match Champion Alfie Davis in the primary occasion. Usman sits at 20-0 with one no contest and has earned his place atop the light-weight standings by back-to-back victories in opposition to Eire’s Paul Hughes in what the promotion described as historic battles that showcased his mix of placing and wrestling.
Within the co-main occasion, the pair shall be bookended by the PFL’s latest welterweight championship conflict between Ramazan Kuramagomedov, the previous Bellator Welterweight title holder, and Shamil Musaev, the 2024 PFL Welterweight World Match Champion. Each fighters carry credentials that place them among the many group’s most completed latest signings.
Khabib added:
“I wish to draw consideration to the co-main occasion as effectively. There are two Dagestani fighters, and I actually consider each of them are within the high 5 within the welterweight division on the planet proper now. One is a Bellator champion, the opposite is a PFL Grand Prix champion. They can not compete within the UFC, however I actually consider they might very simply be within the high 5 there, and they’re each undefeated and superb .
“These two guys are like monsters. As a result of Usman is a giant identify, everybody pays consideration to the primary occasion, however I really need folks to grasp there are different fighters who will not be very well-known, however when it comes to expertise, they’re very high-level fighters.”
The preliminary card welcomes undefeated prospect Amru Magomedov, a 9-0 light-weight making his PFL debut in opposition to Dana White’s Contender Sequence alumni Kolton Englund. Magomedov transitions to the promotion as the previous UAE Warriors Light-weight Champion and carries seven finishes throughout 9 skilled victories. The American Englund holds a 15-4 document with six knockout or submission finishes, arriving on a six-fight profitable streak and seeking to disrupt Magomedov’s undefeated standing.
What ties these fighters collectively extends past shared geography and bloodlines. The three-week coaching camp previous the Dubai occasion examined each member of the squad, in keeping with Usman Nurmagomedov.
“The coaching camp began three weeks in the past. It was a giant strain from Khabib’s facet particularly. It was like a stage we nearly broke, however we saved persevering with and coaching,” he defined to reporters. The camp spanned three months throughout Dagestan’s mountains, Makhachkala, and the UAE, with teaching from Khabib and famend American Kickboxing Academy founder Javier Mendez.
Amru Magomedov emphasised how the structured every day routine compounds the bodily calls for. “It’s actually robust, very onerous,” he stated of the three-week camp. The schedule mirrors navy precision: 8:30 a.m. wake-up, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. morning session, noon prayers, relaxation and meals, night coaching, then sleep. This repeats each single day with out exception, leaving minimal alternative for real leisure.
The transition into wrestling-heavy Dagestani methodology proved important for Amru, who began his profession in Muay Thai. “I used to be not good in my wrestling in any respect. However now I believe I’m tremendous good with that. The perfect each single day, it must be the perfect. It’s important to be the perfect. You enter the health club, you must overlook every part, simply concentrate on the place you might be, your coaching and all that,” he famous.
Usman acknowledged the weird psychological toll the camp extracts. “Nearly like we don’t relaxation in any respect. Yeah,” he responded when requested if Khabib ever lets fighters chill out. The coach calls for 5 rounds of wrestling when fighters sign they’ve reached their restrict, adopted by calisthenics with no outlined endpoint.
Khabib Nurmagomedov revealed plans to step again from teaching as soon as his high college students set up themselves within the sport, in keeping with latest studies. At the moment, he stays intimately concerned in camp operations alongside Javier Mendez, who described his function as supportive relatively than directive.
The importance of competing concurrently extends past particular person performances. “Even one fighter fights, everybody ought to come. Prefer it’s a rule, so we’ve got to come back all collectively. It’s prefer it’s been all the time like this for a very long time,” Usman defined, noting that staff cohesion and collective development take precedence. This squad-first mentality has outlined the Nurmagomedov camp since its inception.
Undefeated gentle heavyweight Khabib Nabiev summed up how intense the coaching is with Crew Khabib, he defined: “Proper now we’re right here able to carry out on the seventh of February. You permit the health club with out even a smile as a result of there’s no vitality to smile. There’s no like muscle left to smile. That’s the extent of strain”
