DUBAI: Undefeated light heavyweight Khabib Nabiev says the training under former UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is so demanding that fighters leave the gym without the energy “to smile.”

The 11-0 Russian will face Ahmed Sami at PFL Dubai on Feb. 7 at the Coca-Cola Arena. Speaking at a recent press conference in Dubai, Nabiev painted a vivid picture of the physical and mental toll extracted by his coach.

“He pressures so much that you are in a condition that you already tired, but he just asks you to keep continuing, keep pushing yourself to the high limit,” Nabiev explained.

“Which really lets you leave the gym without even (a) smile because there’s no energy to smile. There’s no like muscle left, you know, to smile. So that’s the level of pressure.”

The 25-year-old fighter trains at the Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov Martial Arts School in Dagestan, the legendary facility founded by the former UFC champion’s late father.

The training camp in the UAE for his upcoming fight started three weeks ago and nearly broke the fighters involved. “It was a big pressure from Khabib’s side especially,” Nabiev said. “It was like it was a level like almost we broke, but you know, we kept continuing and training this one.”

Nabiev described training sessions where the limits constantly shift beyond what seems humanly possible.

“There is a point of like when you feel that, okay, we have to stop, we’re done, but he still asks you, okay, we have to do five rounds of wrestling and then you have to do the, you know, the push-ups and pull-ups and all that,” he said.

“So there’s never (a) limit.”

The fighter’s three-month preparation was split across multiple locations. The team began in the mountains of Dagestan for sparring work before moving to Makhachkala to continue training.

The final phase took place in the UAE under the guidance of both Nurmagomedov and Javier Mendez, the renowned American Kickboxing Academy coach.

“One month over in Dagestan, like in mountains, sparring. Second month we trained here under the guidance of Khabib as well as Javier Mendez. So no injuries, we’re all good,” Nabiev said.​​

When asked if fighters can ever negotiate with their coach, Nabiev was clear. “Can anyone ever say hi, but it doesn’t work. He says no,” the fighter said, adding with a touch of humor that those who do not want to work are told they can leave.

This aligns with Nurmagomedov’s public statements about his coaching philosophy. “At the gym, when we start our sessions, there’s no room for freedom of speech,” he said at the World Sports Summit in January.

“Everyone must follow my instructions if I’m their coach.”

Nabiev has five submission victories and four knockouts, demonstrating a well-rounded finishing ability. He has competed primarily for UAE Warriors and Eagle FC, earning his last three victories via submission.

His most recent performance came in January 2025 when he submitted Dhouglas Ribeiro with an arm-triangle choke in the second round at UAE Warriors 57.

His opponent Sami brings a 12-4 record to the cage with six knockouts and three submissions. The Egyptian fighter from Cairo earned his spot on the card with a first-round TKO victory over Tarek Suleiman at a PFL event in January 2025.

The fight takes place on the preliminary card beginning at 9 a.m. UAE, with the main card featuring PFL lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov defending his title against Alfie Davis. The event marks the third PFL show in Dubai and will stream on the ESPN app in the US.