UFC legends Khabib Nurmagomedov and Daniel Cormier have been friends for many years, and have been known to swap some light hearted trash talk on occasion.
That’s exactly what happened when Cormier presented Nurmagomedov with the UFC’s Submission of the Year award for 2020.
See the pair’s hilarious exchange below (via UFC on Instagram):
“For the man that has everything,” Cormier began as he approached Nurmagomedov with the award. “My brother, I want to give you the UFC honors, submission of the year, for that beautiful Justin Gaethje mounted triangle choke. All those jiu-jitsu classes that I ran at the American Kickboxing academy paid off.”
Nurmagomedov quickly responded by questioning Cormier’s ability to pull of a triangle choke.
“You don’t teach this brother, because you don’t know what is this triangle choke,” Nurmagomedov joked. “Your legs? No, no. You even never try this.”
“I don’t see you for six months and you insult me,” Cormier responded. “That’s what this friendship has become?”
“No we talk about this submission, triangle choke,” Nurmagomedov continued. “You don’t know what this is. Your legs are too fat for triangle choke.”
“I might be fat, retired guy, but look at this guy,” Cormier fired back. “Remember that six-pack you were showing off?”
Khabib Nurmagomedov and Daniel Cormier, both decorated UFC champions, both recently announced their retirment from MMA.
Cormier, who previously held the UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight titles, hung up his gloves in August, 2020, after failing to reclaim the heavyweight title in a trilogy fight with Stipe Miocic.
Nurmagomedov, who has ruled over the UFC lightweight division since early 2018, retired in October of last year, after earning 2020 Submission of the Year honors against Justin Gaethje. That being said, he still hasn’t relinquished the lightweight belt, leaving the door for one last fight ever so slightly ajar.
What are your thoughts on this back and forth between Daniel Cormier and Khabib Nurmagomedov?