UFC legend Daniel Cormier has fought and trained with many greats that the wrestling and mixed martial arts world has to offer. Being one of the most decorated fighters himself, he recently shared his perspective on what fuels someone like the Dagestan duo of Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov, and boxing great Terence Crawford, who recently recorded his biggest win against Canelo Alvarez this past Saturday.

Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov need no introduction to MMA fans because they know how dominant they have been in the UFC. But when it comes to Terence Crawford, the UFC fandom may not be aware of his backstory. As far as Daniel Cormier’s statements are concerned, it seems like all three fighters have had similar experiences in their journey to combat sports prominence, and it’s not pleasant.

UFC legend reveals the similarity between Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and Terence Crawford

The story of Dagestan fighters is well known. As Islam Makhachev once joked, “I eaty, I sleepy, and I trainy.” Now, that may have been light-hearted fun, but that’s the truth. Training is all they do because, unlike in the United States of America, opportunities in other forms of career in Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s native region are as rare as they can get. “The Dagestani [fighters] said, ‘Hey, the reason guys are winning now is because we have no choice. This changes our lives. In America or other places, you have an option,'” Daniel Cormier explained on his YouTube channel.

For Terence Crawford, too, who’s from Omaha, the journey was full of struggles. He faced the issue of limited opportunities in his hometown with regard to boxing, but continued the grind and went on to achieve monumental accolades. “Terence didn’t have an option. Not in Omaha. Terence had to make this work, and he did. That’s why he is who he is today,” Daniel Cormier added.

However, work ethic and the lack of other opportunities aren’t the only things that propelled the aforementioned legends to success. Khabib Nurmagomedov, Islam Makhachev, and Terence Crawford also have the same values, especially when it comes to loyalty.

It’s all about loyalty

Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev have been training with each other since they were kids. Under the tutelage of Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, both went on to become UFC champions. Even when they moved to the United States and joined Daniel Cormier and others, their brotherhood remained, and Khabib and Makhachev would even develop the same relationship with ‘DC’.

When it comes to Terence Crawford, prior to the fight against Canelo Alvarez, ‘Bud’ admitted to the lack of opportunities in Omaha. And guess what? Many people tried to sway him to join better coaches. But he chose to stick to his original team, and they’re still together to this day. “[People wanted me to move out of Omaha] early in my career, middle of my career. And I just [refused]… They wanted me to train, they wanted me to live out there. The whole nine,” Crawford stated in an interview. “All that don’t matter if you believe in your team. If you have a great team around you, you don’t have to change nothing up.”

The hard road paid dividends, and Khabib Nurmagomedov, Islam Makhachev, and Terence Crawford have etched their names in combat sports history. It will be interesting to see if anyone else comes close to replicating their success in the future. Nevertheless, what do you make of Daniel Cormier’s statements? Drop your comments below.