Luke Rockhold couldn’t ask for a better (and happier) training partner than one of the GOATs of MMA.
The former UFC middleweight champion shared video of his return to fight camp with his longtime team American Kickboxing Academy, specifically a clip of him engaging in some good-natured wrestling and ribbing with Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Watch the footage above, courtesy of Rockhold’s IG via The Mac Life.
In the video, Rockhold defends from bottom position against the smothering wrestling attack of Nurmagomedov. He warns Nurmagomedov, “Don’t get too comfortable,” to which Nurmagomedov replies, “I just miss you, I hug you, bro. But I miss you, I hug you.”
“I like this hug,” Rockhold says. “It feels good.”
Not satisfied with the scheduled session, Nurmagomedov tackles Rockhold again afterwards, much to the delight of everyone watching.
Rockhold undoubtedly welcomes the intense training as he prepares for his first fight since a knockout loss to Jan Blachowicz in July 2019 and seeks his first win since defeating David Branch in September 2017. He is scheduled to fight middleweight contender Paulo Costa on Aug. 20 at UFC 278 in Salt Lake City.
See below for more training photos shared by Rockhold:
