Usman Nurmagomedov has voiced his dissatisfaction with his latest performance inside the cage.
Despite successfully defending his Bellator lightweight title against Paul Hughes at the PFL Road to Dubai Champions Series event, Nurmagomedov felt he did not showcase his true potential.
While he remained undefeated with a close majority decision win, the Dagestani admitted he was far from his best that night.
I think I can prepare for this fight better,” Nurmagomedov told MMA Junkie. “I know I can be better — more than I was that night. I for sure know I can finish this guy. After this fight, I see a lot of my mistakes. For myself, I know I was 50 percent in that cage. I will be ready for 100 percent. I know I can finish this guy.
Nurmagomedov also pointed to a lack of training partners during his camp as a major factor in his underwhelming performance.
For training camp, I did it with tough guys — like one or two — but this is not enough,” Nurmagomedov said. “I was alone, and it’s really hard to push yourself when you don’t have your coaches. Everyone was focused on Umar (Nurmagomedov), Islam (Makhachev), Tagir (Ulanbekov) in America.
Additionally, he revealed that he had been sick in the weeks leading up to the fight, which further affected his conditioning.
Of course, they control me, but it’s different when you’re training at home with your family and your friends. Sometimes, you have to spend a little time with your family, have dinner with your brothers. This made me a little tired and didn’t let me recover properly for the next training session. Also, when I came to Dubai, I was sick two weeks before the fight.
Following Nurmagomedov’s close victory, many fans called for an immediate rematch. However, Nurmagomedov dismissed the idea, believing the fight was not as close as some suggest and insisting that Hughes should earn another shot before they meet again.