Lessons About Training from Islam Makhachev
Getting to the next level is the goal of every athlete. It ensures a competitive advantage against your opponent and pushes you to achieve the absolute pinnacle of performance and endurance. Elite athletes will train for hours each day for months or years on end just to obtain incremental improvements. They know that these seemingly minor gains can be the difference between victory and defeat, so they are always looking for any way to obtain an edge.
Athletic performance is vital in the world of martial arts, but the most elite competitors also have to spend years learning technique and strategy. They also have to develop a tolerance for pain and the ability to persevere. For martial arts where strikes are allowed, they also have to learn how to shrug off blows that would put novices in the emergency room.
While there are certainly some people who are more genetically predisposed to being MMA fighters than others, they are not going to make it very far on those genetic gifts alone. They have to have a training regimen. Therefore, when people from the same region or gym start producing loads of next-level fighters, everyone wants to know what that regimen is.
Currently, one of the coaches producing a lot of world-class fighters is Khabib Nurmagomedov. Among his students are the current (as of early May 2025) P4P fighter and UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev, Belal Muhammad, Zubaira Tukhugov, and others who belong to the Eagles MMA organization, which Khabib founded.
As shown in the above clip, “Mighty” Demetrious Johnson recently invited Makhachev onto his show to talk about how he trains. Makhachev has been one of the most dominant MMA fighters in recent memory. While there is no doubt an immense amount of innate talent, Khabib’s training regimen is also a key to his success.
Training Is Work
The most important lesson that any aspiring MMA fighter can learn early on is that training isn’t optional. You have to show up and you have to take it seriously. You can’t skip days whenever you want and expect to get the gains that you’re after. You can’t fail to prepare and expect to perform at an elite level.
You should think of training the same way that you think of work. You only get to keep that job if you show up every day, and you need to do the work you’re assigned when you’re there. If you take too much time off or simply “show up” without putting in the effort, you’re not going to advance. You aren’t going to get that promotion. You’re going to find yourself being surpassed by people who you thought were your equals or even your juniors.
The point is that hard work pays off. If you put in the hours, you will see the gains and experience the rewards.
Diet and Sleep
Though this may sound counterintuitive, you also need down time. As much as there may be a demand to redline your body in the weightroom or when you’re sparring, you need to be able to turn it off when you get home. You need to be able to relax your body and mind, to sleep, and to take recovery days when you need them. Makhachev mentions going to a Russian sauna as one example. While this may not be an option for everyone, finding ways to unwind and give your body a break will ultimately make you better.
In addition to giving your body rest, you need to also make sure that you are fueling your body with the nutrients it needs. That means eating clean every day, avoiding alcohol and drugs, and staying hydrated.
Learn to Adapt
Makhachev also notes that he changes partners every two or three rounds when he’s sparring. This allows him to keep things new and to adapt to different fighters’ approaches. More than learning how to respond to specific variants of techniques, sparring with different fighters keeps you on your toes. It teaches you to improvise and to quickly adapt.
Even in smaller gyms where you may only have a dozen other fighters with whom you can spar, it’s vital to keep changing it up and to never get too comfortable with any one fighter.