Team Khabib Aims to Make Statement at PFL Dubai with Multiple Dagestani Fighters
The PFL Road to Dubai event on February 7 will serve as a coming-out party for Team Khabib, with a collection of Dagestani-based fighters competing across multiple bouts with ambitions to stake their claim within the promotion’s divisions. The card will feature three fighters trained directly under Khabib Nurmagomedov at the Abdulmanap Martial Arts School, each operating at different stages of their careers but united by the same demanding training philosophy.
Team Khabib Aims to Make Statement at PFL Dubai with Multiple Dagestani Fighters
In a recent interview, Coach Khabib explained, “I really want people to pay attention,” he said. “I don’t think many people in the world can beat these guys. Maybe one, two, three can give them a hard time, but not many.”
The flagship performance comes from undefeated PFL Lightweight World Champion Usman Nurmagomedov, who returns to defend his title against 2025 PFL Lightweight World Tournament Champion Alfie Davis in the main event. Usman sits at 20-0 with one no contest and has earned his position atop the lightweight standings through back-to-back victories against Ireland’s Paul Hughes in what the promotion described as historic battles that showcased his blend of striking and wrestling.
In the co-main event, the pair will be bookended by the PFL’s newest welterweight championship clash between Ramazan Kuramagomedov, the former Bellator Welterweight title holder, and Shamil Musaev, the 2024 PFL Welterweight World Tournament Champion. Both fighters carry credentials that place them among the organization’s most accomplished recent signings.
Khabib added:
“I want to draw attention to the co-main event as well. There are two Dagestani fighters, and I really believe both of them are in the top five in the welterweight division in the world right now. One is a Bellator champion, the other is a PFL Grand Prix champion. They cannot compete in the UFC, but I really believe they could very easily be in the top five there, and they are both undefeated and very good .
“These two guys are like monsters. Because Usman is a big name, everyone pays attention to the main event, but I really want people to understand there are other fighters who may not be very famous, but in terms of skills, they are very high-level fighters.”
The preliminary card welcomes undefeated prospect Amru Magomedov, a 9-0 lightweight making his PFL debut against Dana White’s Contender Series alumni Kolton Englund. Magomedov transitions to the promotion as the former UAE Warriors Lightweight Champion and carries seven finishes across nine professional victories. The American Englund holds a 15-4 record with six knockout or submission finishes, arriving on a six-fight winning streak and looking to disrupt Magomedov’s undefeated status.
What ties these fighters together extends beyond shared geography and bloodlines. The three-week training camp preceding the Dubai event tested every member of the squad, according to Usman Nurmagomedov.
“The training camp started three weeks ago. It was a big pressure from Khabib’s side especially. It was like a level we almost broke, but we kept continuing and training,” he explained to reporters. The camp spanned three months across Dagestan’s mountains, Makhachkala, and the UAE, with coaching from Khabib and renowned American Kickboxing Academy founder Javier Mendez.
Amru Magomedov emphasized how the structured daily routine compounds the physical demands. “It’s really tough, very hard,” he said of the three-week camp. The schedule mirrors military precision: 8:30 a.m. wake-up, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. morning session, midday prayers, rest and meals, evening training, then sleep. This repeats every single day without exception, leaving minimal opportunity for genuine relaxation.
The transition into wrestling-heavy Dagestani methodology proved significant for Amru, who started his career in Muay Thai. “I was not good in my wrestling at all. But now I think I’m super good with that. The best every single day, it should be the best. You have to be the best. You enter the gym, you have to forget everything, just focus on where you are, your training and all that,” he noted.
Usman acknowledged the unusual mental toll the camp extracts. “Almost like we don’t rest at all. Yeah,” he responded when asked if Khabib ever lets fighters relax. The coach demands five rounds of wrestling when fighters signal they’ve reached their limit, followed by calisthenics with no defined endpoint.
Khabib Nurmagomedov revealed plans to step back from coaching once his top students establish themselves in the sport, according to recent reports. Currently, he remains intimately involved in camp operations alongside Javier Mendez, who described his role as supportive rather than directive.
The significance of competing simultaneously extends beyond individual performances. “Even one fighter fights, everyone should come. Like it’s a rule, so we have to come all together. It’s like it’s been always like this for a long time,” Usman explained, noting that team cohesion and collective growth take priority. This squad-first mentality has defined the Nurmagomedov camp since its inception.
Undefeated light heavyweight Khabib Nabiev summed up how intense the training is with Team Khabib, he explained: “Right now we’re here ready to perform on the 7th of February. You leave the gym without even a smile because there’s no energy to smile. There’s no like muscle left to smile. That’s the level of pressure”
