A. Nurmagomedov: There is no underestimation of McGregor from our side

The father and coach of the UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov said why he was deprived of an American visa and how his son is preparing in a fight on October 6 in Las Vegas with Irishman Conor McGregor.

- Khabib these days has entered into an acute polemic with the rapper Timati. Did he do the right thing?

- The most important thing for him now is preparation for battle.

- I agree. But such it is a waste of emotions, which are so important three weeks before the battle...

- More precisely, for 25 days.

- You are communicating with your son. What did Khabib say about this story with Timati?

- We communicate twice a day. I put the text in the Instagram, there everything is written about this. And with Khabib we are only discussing preparations for the battle. Therefore, if you are interested in sports, then we can continue the conversation.

- Of course, it is interesting. But at first I would like to know about your American visa. Why was it canceled?

- It was canceled because I came to fight Islam Makhachev in Houston with two Russian flags. Not everybody loves it.

- Tell us how Khabib is preparing for the battle.

- Now his weight is 79.5 kg. 81 kg is also good, but 79.5 is the ideal weight for Khabib before the fight.

- You cannot be present in person during the training that takes place in America, but you certainly picked the team personally?

- I sent to America all those who need to prepare. The team included eight people. I sent my younger brother Nurmagomed, the world champion in sambo, the champion of Ukraine in judo, he knows how to lose weight, etc.

- So, your absence in America should not affect the preparation?

- Everything goes according to plan.

- The strong points of Khabib include his excellent wrestling training.

- Three years ago it was recognized that Habib had the best wrestling training in the UFC. He is the strongest fighter on the ground.

- What other advantages does Khabib have?

- From his father he got endurance and psychological stability.

- What are the strong points of McGregor?

- He is very good at his southpaw stance. He has a very strong punch and he is very dangerous. And even with a turn, he can hit with right heel in the liver, in the head.

- Many give preferences to Khabib in this fight.

- I think we are a little higher than other fighters in our weight class. Khabib has a very good school of sambo and free-style wrestling. We clearly build tactics for battle, never lose a single round and the psychological advantage is always on our side. As for the upcoming fight, there is no underestimation of the opponent from our side, but we also know the price very well. After the first round, the advantage should be ours.