Khabib Nurmagomedov hilariously critiques Demetrious Johnson’s training [VIDEO]

MMA royalty and former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is not the kind of man who’d mince his words, especially when he’s critiquing his friends. We’ve seen this time and time again in his hilarious back-and-forths with his teammate, former two-division UFC champ Daniel Cormier, at American Kickboxing Academy. It’s comedic gold.

This time, ‘The Eagle’ had fellow MMA legend and former UFC flyweight king Demetrious Johnson train with his team in preparation for UFC 311. Nurmagomedov’s team of Dagestani killers are known for their brutal training and unparalleled work ethic.

Seemingly putting Johnson through a form of initiation with his team, Khabib jokingly grilled his fellow legend a few times. It’s all tough love, however, as the former lightweight champion was simply having fun while keeping the training of his team sharp.

One of the funnier moments of the training session was when Khabib Nurmagomedov heavily criticized Johnson’s kettlebell squat jumps, saying:

“Hey [to Johnson], you’re supposed to jump. Brother, please. Come on, brother.”

Johnson took it in stride, even joking:

“Oh, my bad. I do ten more. Okay, first day on the job. First day on the job.”

Check out their exchange below:

😅Coach Khabib wasn’t happy with Demetrious Jonhson’s training:

“You’re supposed to jump. Brother please, come on brother”

🎥@MightyMouse 🔹 pic.twitter.com/m8Gf7KkEl4

— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) December 16, 2024

Khabib Nurmagomedov puts Demetrious Johnson through a gauntlet of Dagestani fighters

Seemingly eager to witness the greatness of ‘Mighty Mouse’ first-hand, Khabib Nurmagomedov put the former UFC flyweight king through back-to-back-to-back grappling spars with a few of his teammates.

First, Demetrious Johnson grappled with 16-4 PFL lightweight Shara Zaynukov. Despite being outsized and outweighed by Zaynukov, ‘DJ’ was able to get the upper hand without looking like he got tired.

Without resting, Johnson was put up against 16-1 Bellator bantamweight Kasum Kasumov. Once again, ‘Mighty Mouse’ was able to reverse the position and win the spar via points.

Next, Nurmagomedov put Johson against 74kg Olympic silver medalist wrestler Mahamedkhabib Kadimagomedov in a straight freestyle wrestling match. Remarkably, the former UFC flyweight champion was able to momentarily take the Russian Olympian down despite being remarkably smaller. This thoroughly impressed Nurmagomedov, shouting “Nice, Demetrious” a few times.

Afterward, the Dagestani MMA legend said to the camera:

“He [Johnson] survived. Welcome to the team. All training today. Now, he’s welcome to the team.”

Check out the gauntlet below (22:28):