Daniel Cormier Hails Khabib Nurmagomedov – “We are Extremely Proud”

Khabib Nurmagomedov is not the only person to have held the UFC world title from the American Kickboxing Academy. Although he is undefeated and seemingly the most dominant fighter on the roster, AKA has successfully produced elite MMA World champions throughout the years. Daniel Cormier is one of them.

DC, the two-division UFC champion, will be stepping up for one last time against Stipe Miocic in the upcoming main-event of UFC 252 on August 15. Since he would retire after the contest, DC talked about his teammates in AKA, especially Khabib.

Daniel Cormier says Khabib Nurmagomedov is the most dominant champion

In the pre-fight press conference of UFC 252, Cormier was asked to reflect his opinions on post-retirement life. To this, DC said that he would miss all of it- from fight camps, all the way to training sessions and his AKA teammates.

AKA has produced UFC world champions with the likes of Cormier, Cain Velasquez, Luke Rockhold, and Khabib ‘The Eagle’ Nurmagomedov. However, Khabib is the only reigning champion at this point.

DC would also get his hands again on the title if he vanquishes Miocic at UFC 252. Despite that, he would still have to vacate the belt post-retirement.

That said, Cain Velasquez is already retired and Luke Rockhold is far from the middleweight title race at this point. Thus, it all comes down to Khabib now.

Speaking about it, DC said, “Cain, myself, Luke, and Khabib now. We all took the next step, so seeing it so close allows people to realize the athletes in our gym- it is possible.

Khabib is the closest one to moving in and he might have had one UFC fight when he got here and he is the most dominant champion in the world now. We are extremely proud of our team and we are extremely proud of Khabib.”

Khabib met with a misfortune recently after his dad passed away last month. While many assumed the lightweight champion would mourn and remain inactive, Khabib shocked everyone by announcing his return in October.  The lightweight champion will put his belt and the undefeated record at stake when he faces Gaethje shortly.

Khabib vs Gaethje Preview

Khabib would appear inside the cage from AKA at the headliner of UFC 254 on October 24 against Justin ‘The Highlight’ Gaethje. The lightweight unification bout was on the car for long, meeting an official date recently.

While the bout is officially confirmed for October 24, the venue and the undercard are yet to be noted. Khabib has also hinted at his retirement several times, and UFC 254 is assumed to be his second-last appearance.

After that, Khabib has expressed his desire for taking one more fight before retirement. ‘The Eagle’ wants to lock horns opposite Georges St-Pierre in his departing fight for the promotion.