Khabib Nurmagomedov is a unique person. Hailing from the remote Russian province of Dagestan, known for its stunning landscapes, rich history, respect-based culture, and warm hospitality. ‘The Eagle’ certainly has held true to the values of humility, hard work, and respect he derived from his native culture and Islamic faith throughout his career.

He retired prematurely after his father passed away and because of a promise he made to his mother. This certainly hurt Dagestani’s legacy and standing on the all-time list, as many felt he had retired before cementing himself as the greatest. Not to mention the tens (potentially even hundreds) of millions of dollars he left on the table, once again proving his integrity. And his former coach, Javier Mendez, thinks he has found a place that is perfect for his ex-student.

Khabib Nurmagomedov coach blown away at hospitality in Dubai

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s former coach, Javier Mendez, gave his thoughts on the UFC 296 card in the latest episode of his podcast on YouTube. As the podcast began, Mendez spoke about the fantastic treatment he was getting in the city of Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates.

“These guys [his hosts in Dubai, UAE] basically keep entertaining you and you have to keep eating to just minimize what you eat but it’s a great place to be for so many beautiful people that just come and just treat you like gold. It’s just incredible how the hospitality over here in the UAE is,” Mendez told his co-host right off the bat.

The coach was all praises for the hospitality of the Emiratis there and felt this was the most ‘Khabib Nurmagomedov type’ place in the world owing to its treatment of guests. “It’s incredible. Almost every place I’ve been that’s a Khabib [Nurmagomedov] type territory,” the AKA gym founder added.

The 53-year-old revealed that it was not just him, but every foreigner he spoke to had good things to say about the UAE. “Hospitality is off the charts for me, you know. But I think in general UAE is just a very hospitable type of country. And everybody that’s around, everybody I talk all the foreigners that are here they love it here,” he said. However, Mendez is not the only person who has spoken highly of Dubai. Conor McGregor, too, is in Dubai currently, enjoying their hospitality and training hard for his comeback.

Conor McGregor training in Dubai for his upcoming comeback

Conor McGregor has been out of the Octagon for over two years. ‘Notorious’, sitting on an injury and consecutive losses, is anxious to return to his “way of living”. While the timeline for his bout remains unclear, there are talks around a potential early to mid-2024 date, perhaps even the UFC 300 megacard.

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And McGregor is hard at work, training for his return to the UFC. Surprisingly, he is not in his SBG gym in Dublin. Instead, the former two-division champion is in Dubai with his family, in the swanky Palm Jumeirah area of the Emirati city. The Gulf countries have invested a lot of money to make their countries and cities sports hubs, and it seems that investment is paying off, with MMA royalty like McGregor choosing it as the place to train.

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