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Luke Rockhold is not fighting at any of the UFC’s upcoming events. However, he is a friend and the training partner of UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, and knows the Dagestani very well. In a chat with Submission Radio’s Kacper Rosolowski and Denis Shkuratov, he spoke about how ‘The Eagle’ can be beaten. 

Luke Rockhold spills the beans on how to beat Khabib Nurmagomedov 

“The problem is, these guys at Lightweight. They do not know what it is like when Khabib gets a hold of them. And I’ve been with most top talents I’ve seen at Lightweight and Welterweight and I’ve grappled with them, and Khabib is more than anything that any Lightweight has ever felt, and most of all Welterweights.”

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“So, I don’t care who you are, how slippery you are, even if you’re Tony Ferguson and you’re slippery, you’re not gonna feel the same thing when Khabib gets a hold of you. It’s gonna slow you down. So, you gotta get him early because the longer than thing went Khabib, the more times Khabib got a hold of you. It just wouldn’t go well.” 

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Dana White announced that the winner of the UFC 249 clash will fight ‘The Eagle.’ Rockhold was asked for his take on who presents a tougher challenge. 

Read: “The Winner Will Fight Khabib For the Title”- Dana White Makes a Huge Statement

“I think they both present their problems. They both kinda get wild and get crazy early on and land something big, otherwise, they both go down. That’s how I see it.”

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He refused to commit to an answer, but reiterated his earlier point. The only way to open the tally in ‘The Eagle’s loss column is to hit him early and leave oneself vulnerable to a takedown and a leg wrap, which will inevitably drain you of your energy. 

Who do you see claiming the Interim Lightweight Championship and fighting ‘The Eagle’ at a later date?