Khabib Nurmagomedov's teammate Luke Rockhold has joked that the ex-lightweight champion has piled on 50lb since retiring in 2020.
The Russian fighter hung up his gloves after going undefeated in his 29 professional fights at 155lb, including a number of years with the UFC belt. But Rockhold, who was once the middleweight champion, believes that he could be tipping the scales at more than his upcoming opponent Paolo Costa, who last weighed in at light-heavyweight.
Nurmagomedov has switched from fighting to promoting and coaching, and will be joining Rockhold in camp for his Octagon return later this year. And in a pre-fight interview, the American made the tongue-in-cheek suggestion that Nurmagomedov could be considerably heavier than his fighting peak.
Speaking with The Schmo, Rockhold spoke about his upcoming training camp and working with the UFC legend. The pair have been training partners for years at the American Kickboxing Academy, where they work alongside the likes of former two-weight world champion Daniel Cormier.
"The world is my oyster, I'm a f***ing gypsy," Rockhold said. "And I love it here, I love it here with the boys. My boy Chito [Marlon Vera] over there, he's got some little triceps working. And you know [Jason] Parillo, and all the boys.
"But I'm mixing up. I've got to get my wrestling in and so I'm going to go and work with Khabib this week, maybe Florida. I've got to go with the winds, go with the tide... He might be weighing more than Paulo Costa. He's perfect, if I can wrestle him, easy weasy work with Paulo."
Nurmagomedov has certainly put on a few pounds since his fighting days having previously struggled to make the 155lb limit during his prime. But he is likely still considerably lighter than 205lb given his frame.
Costa will prove a difficult comeback opponent for Rockhold, who will have been out of action for three years since his brutal knockout by Jan Balchowicz when he steps into the Octagon. Their fight is scheduled for July 30 but Costa has been attempting to push the fight back, according to the former champion.
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"Paulo Costa is pathetic," he continued. "The kid needs to sign the contract and agree to the weight, agree to the fight, agree to the date, agree to the dance. Let’s go. There’s always been questions. It was July 2, it was July 30.
"Now, this b**** is trying to move it to f***ing August. I would say, I am sick, I am tired of just f***ng this s***. I really want to beat that f***ers a**, so we’re going to August.”
Costa is also coming off the back of two losses, the first of his career as a professional. He was humiliatingly stopped by Israel Adesanya in their title fight in 2020, before taking over a year out and losing again to Marvin Vettori after a disaster weight cut that saw the fight moved up 20lb just days out.
