Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Nutritionist Gives Unprecedented Insight into His Cut

We all have some form of PTSD regarding Khabib Nurmagomedov’s weight cuts. It’s not a dig on him, it’s just a simple fact of the matter which Nurmagomedov seems to realize himself. He’s dealt with endless Tweets about tiramisu and trolling memes since March when he was forced to pull-out of his highly anticipated fight with Tony Ferguson. This is where UFC’s nutritionist Tyler ‘Melee’ Minton comes in. We’ve never gotten this close of a look inside Khabib’s cut and it seems like he’s never been in better hands. If the photo that was dropped yesterday doesn’t convince you, just read how Minton breaks it all down.

“The UFC wants fighters no higher than 10 percent of their weight class on arrival. Two meals and a lot of water later, Khabib Nurmagomedov weighs in more than a pound under [which puts him at about 170 pounds]. Sorry haters. That’s an extremely easy weight cut considering he’s been drinking two gallons daily and eating a good bit. Muscle holds water. Fat doesn’t. He’s drinking two gallons of water a day and still eating more carbohydrates [250 grams daily] this week than many fighters eat a month out. One gram of glycogen stored in the muscles holds two-three grams of water. Khabib will drink two gallons of water every day this week except Thursday, when he will cut that in half. Then begin drinking again Friday morning. He will never go without water. He’s also normally much heavier than this.” — Tyler Melee Minton via multiple updates on Twitter.

🦅 The UFC wants fighters no higher than 10% of their weight class on arrival. Two meals and a lot of water later, @TeamKhabib weighs in more than a pound UNDER. Sorry haters… 🦅 #nutritionist #lockhartandleith #khabibnurmagomedov #ufc219 pic.twitter.com/AksT9X7hhA

— Tyler Melee Minton (@TheMeleeWay) December 26, 2017

Not only does he look great, it sounds like he feels great as well, which is the most important thing. Regardless of how bad we want to see Khabib Nurmagomedov back in the Octagon, his health is much more of a priority. According to Minton, he’s lighter than he’s been going into fight week as well as eating more than most. His 15 pound cut that he has to go through before Friday morning, which still sounds like a good bit, is on average with most cuts of a UFC lightweight. Of course, we still have the suspenseful weigh-ins to worry about, but Minton has gone a long way to put us all at ease.

Ginger Beef and Broccoli with Basmati Rice and Pecans for @TeamKhabib #nutritionist #lockhartandleith #UFC219 pic.twitter.com/rknj1BHcIf

— Tyler Melee Minton (@TheMeleeWay) December 25, 2017

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 12/27/2017.