Heavy, Patient, Relentless: What a Day on the Mats With Khabib Nurmagomedov Feels Like

Lex Fridman opens by saying he has the honor of training with Khabib Nurmagomedov, whom he calls one of the greatest fighters of all time. He had already trained with the team the day before and admits he feels a bit beaten up. He jokes that when he texted Georges St-Pierre for advice, the reply was, "If you die, you die."

Lex says you can feel the history on these mats, with champion after champion having come through. He is also set to record a podcast with Khabib the next day, which makes the session feel even more special to him. The room around him holds several well-known fighters, and an UFC Embedded voice notes that some of the greatest of all time are on the mat at once.

The mood is friendly at first, with greetings in Russian and teammates teasing Lex. Khabib's own advice is blunt: talking won't win anything, so be quiet and go to the mats. Early exchanges include some playful complaints from Lex about touching the wrong leg.

As the first round develops, Lex's comments turn from banter to disbelief. He says the weight is heavy, that he can't do anything, and that the pressure is "insane." Teammates shout encouragement, urging him not to tap and to hold on.

Lex says he feels like a white belt, and when asked about his rank he confirms he is a black belt in jiu-jitsu. Khabib explains that in sambo there are levels rather than belts, and he is a Master of Sports (International), a rank earned through competing. Lex notes that he can't do anything regardless of belt.

A teammate warns Lex that Khabib is not going to try to submit him but will make him suffer. The approach, he says, is to drown the opponent over and over, so Lex should expect to be stressed. After the round, Khabib says it was not about the first-round order, that no one is injured, and that the key quality is simply being heavy.

Between rounds, Lex gives a short thank-you to the sponsor LMNT, and Glover Teixeira asks Khabib for a lesson and gets some time on the mat. Afterward, Khabib tells Lex they will go again, and Lex jokes with the others about the "wrong leg."

In the second round Khabib starts coaching while he works, telling Lex to squeeze with his legs, showing where to hook and when to pull. He says that sometimes he just stays in position and doesn't need to do anything, because the person underneath has to spend energy to get up. As he puts it, he makes you work.

Lex says the pressure leaves him understanding why people run. Later in the round the hips are the focus, with Khabib repeating the word as he pushes. Teammates cheer on others rolling nearby, and Ali tells Magdi he is grappling like it's a wrestling match.

After the session Khabib says he can play with anybody at any time, but here he wanted to show Lex a bit of pressure. He describes a pattern of scramble after scramble that ends with the opponent in his position. Ali adds that many people stop, but Lex kept going, and calls him a real one.

Lex says he felt it psychologically as well, in a low place. Ali, who has trained with Khabib for 12 years according to his own account, says that feeling makes you want to give up, and that Khabib doesn't even need a tap. He says he has never seen anyone pass Khabib's guard or tap him.

Asked whether anyone has ever done this to him, Khabib answers that no one has. Since he was 18 or 19 he was always training against high-level people, because that is who was in his gym and who he grew up on the ground game with.

Khabib describes sessions where he would spar for an hour, an hour and a half or more without stopping, changing four or five opponents every 10 to 15 minutes. He says he used to play for a very long time. Mentally, he was thinking about how anybody could possibly make him tired.

Lex mentions Dan Gable, the Olympic champion wrestler, who said he wanted to go in practice until he quit and never reached that point. Khabib agrees that is why Gable is the best. He says that his whole life has been about continuing to go.

Khabib says he has just come back from a training camp in Dubai with about 25 people, going morning and night with big names. His body feels very good, and he feels bad when a week of travel leaves him without sparring partners. Lex says he can tell Khabib still loves it, and Khabib agrees.

Training partners wrap up with their own impressions. Magdi says that when he goes with Khabib he is not allowed to get up and stays in the same position the whole time. Glover says it feels like going against 280 pounds, and Lex compares it to playing one-on-one basketball with Michael Jordan at the YMCA. Khabib thanks Lex and says they will work again tomorrow.