Khabib Nurmagomedov working with former Conor McGregor training partner in preparation for UFC 229
As he prepares for his UFC 229 showdown with Conor McGregor, UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has been training with an old stablemate of the Irishman: former SBG fighter Myles Price.
Price, who spent lots of time sparring and training with Conor McGregor in the early phases of career, now trains at American Kickboxing Academy. And he has no issues with helping Khabib Nurmagomedov prepare for this fight with his former teammate, as he never got along that well with Conor McGregor.
“I’ll be honest with you, I never really got on well with Conor within the gym because me and Conor sparred a lot. At the time, Conor was taking fights at lightweight,” Price said on the latest episode of Eurobash (transcript via MMA Fighting).
“I understand the hierarchy within gyms. Even here at AKA you have heated spars, but afterwards we shake each other’s hands, we talk about what we can work on and develop as training partners or as a team.
“Basically, with Conor, he’s quite narcissistic. He’ll see you as competition. He’s not very nice to be around in the gym. If you’re giving him hard spars, he won’t see you as a friend after a while.”
Price went on to explain what it’s like to spar with Khabib Nurmagomedov. He says it’s as difficult as you’d expect.
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“It’s like having a wet blanket on you in every single session,” he said. “When I jump in and do my session with Khabib, it just feels like there is no stopping him, he just keeps coming at you. When people commentate on his fights, it’s [very accurate] when they say it’s a shock when you feel what he feels like at first. I imagined what it was going to be like, but that was a whole other level of pressure. It’s calculated, it’s smart, it’s vigorous — it just keeps on coming at you over and over again.”
Price also praised Khabib Nurmagomedov’s striking game, which he believes could surprise Conor McGregor at UFC 229.
“His stand up has gone through the roof,” Price said of Nurmagomedov. “He’s going to have some tricks up his sleeve on Oct. 6th, that’s all I’m going to say.”
Do you think training with one of Conor McGregor’s former training partners will serve as a key advantage for Khabib Nurmagomedov?
This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 9/25/2018.
