Two-Time ADCC Winner Says Khabib Nurmagomedov Has Skills to Be Grappling Champion

Khabib Nurmagomedov retired from mixed martial arts with a 29-0 mark as the UFC lightweight champion, but at least one training partner believes “The Eagle” could reach similar heights in the competitive grappling world.

Two-time Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Fighting World Championship gold medalist Yuri Simoes, who trains with Nurmagomedov at American Kickboxing Academy, told Ag.Fight that the Dagestani’s skill set would translate well to the ADCC arena.

“I’ve already trained with many top jiu-jitsu players who like to be on top, pressuring to pass the guard, but his game is different. It´s too much pressure,” said Simoes, who fell to Fan Rong via unanimous decision in his MMA debut under the One Championship banner last October. “Unlike the jiu-jitsu guys, his goal is not to pass the guard or mount to get points. He tries the transitions to punish and cause pain to the opponent.”

Simoes said it’s up to Nurmagomedov to decide how far he wants to go in the grappling world. The talent is already there.

"He just needs to train several months to understand and adapt his game to ADCC rules, but if he decides to do that, I have no doubt he has the game to be a champion and it would be a pleasure to support him in that transition,” Simoes said.