Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov said mental toughness was one of the key factors in beating Conor McGregor.
Recall that in October 2017, Nurmagomedov defeated McGregor by subbing in the fourth round. Three years later, the Russian has hung up his gloves on the nail.
"One of the main keys to success is patience and impartiality. Conor hits very well, but in this fight I was on a different level than him. Mentally. It didn't matter at the time who hit harder. The whole world was watching that day. We can fight, we can fight, but we have to possess ourselves. Back then, I preferred psychology more than my physical condition. As a competitor he (Conor) is very good. But if you compare us as psychologically stable athletes, I'm much stronger.
Psychologically, I never broke down. The fear of defeat was there, but the motivation was the upcoming contest, a fight I might lose if I didn't train. Athletes are many, champions are few. Champions think differently. Fear is denied by many, but it's present in any living being. How to fight it - that's the question. With time I learned to get in touch with fear, worry and excitement. To control my feelings, emotions, excitement, fear of losing, of missing a shot, unwillingness to feel pain. All of these feelings are gathered before the fight. When you go into the fight and the cage is closed over you and you're going to get beaten by one of the best fighters in the world who can punch, choke, and break, that's the moment, if you can channel the energy, you can become a champion," Nurmagomedov said at the New Knowledge Forum.
