Luke Rockhold is not fighting at any of the UFC’s upcoming events. However, he is a friend and the training partner of UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, and knows the Dagestani very well. In a chat with Submission Radio’s Kacper Rosolowski and Denis Shkuratov, he spoke about how ‘The Eagle’ can be beaten. 

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Luke Rockhold spills the beans on how to beat Khabib Nurmagomedov 

“The problem is, these guys at Lightweight. They do not know what it is like when Khabib gets a hold of them. And I’ve been with most top talents I’ve seen at Lightweight and Welterweight and I’ve grappled with them, and Khabib is more than anything that any Lightweight has ever felt, and most of all Welterweights.”

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“So, I don’t care who you are, how slippery you are, even if you’re Tony Ferguson and you’re slippery, you’re not gonna feel the same thing when Khabib gets a hold of you. It’s gonna slow you down. So, you gotta get him early because the longer than thing went Khabib, the more times Khabib got a hold of you. It just wouldn’t go well.” 

Dana White announced that the winner of the UFC 249 clash will fight ‘The Eagle.’ Rockhold was asked for his take on who presents a tougher challenge. 

Read: “The Winner Will Fight Khabib For the Title”- Dana White Makes a Huge Statement

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“I think they both present their problems. They both kinda get wild and get crazy early on and land something big, otherwise, they both go down. That’s how I see it.”

He refused to commit to an answer, but reiterated his earlier point. The only way to open the tally in ‘The Eagle’s loss column is to hit him early and leave oneself vulnerable to a takedown and a leg wrap, which will inevitably drain you of your energy. 

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Who do you see claiming the Interim Lightweight Championship and fighting ‘The Eagle’ at a later date?

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Reubyn Coutinho

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Reubyn Coutinho is the Head of Fact-Checking Initiatives and Content Quality Lead at EssentiallySports, where he oversees editorial quality across multiple sports verticals. A Communication graduate, he’s spent over five years shaping the site’s evolution from a niche sports blog into an all-in-one news platform, mentoring more than 110 journalists, introducing data-driven article improvements, and developing editorial guidelines for global audiences. Across his career at ES, Reubyn has worked as a writer, editor, and senior editor, covering everything from UFC, WWE, and boxing to F1, NFL, NBA, and tennis. His bylines include exclusive interviews with former UFC champions Demetrious Johnson and Miesha Tate, as well as combat sports stars Marcus Almeida and Sage Northcutt. Known for his meticulous eye, he regularly resolves headline debates, revisits trending pieces using live analytics, and sets the standard for high-quality sports reporting. Outside of sports media, Reubyn is an active film critic, contributing reviews and festival coverage to Netflix Junkie, where he’s covered events such as MAMI, Venice, and NYAFF. Whether he’s breaking down a championship fight or a Hitchcock classic, his work comes with deep research with a pure love for sport.

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