Khabib Nurmagomedov shared some words of praise for his American Kickboxing Academy training partner Daniel Cormier after Cormier lost to Stipe Miocic at UFC 241.

Miocic stunned fans this weekend when he achieved a TKO victory towards the end of round four, reclaiming the heavyweight title that Cormier took from him when they first fought at UFC 226.

Miocic had not fought since 2018 when Cormier stopped him in the first round. He used the time out to spend with family and mentally and physically prepare for his return. The break paid dividends in his UFC 241 performance as the former champion delivered some punishing body shots that eventually caught up with “DC” and resulted in a TKO loss.

Miocic delivered the second loss of Cormier’s professional career. Despite the loss, many fighters such as Max Holloway took to social media to commend the wrestler.

His teammate and the current undefeated lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov was one of them.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B1S214WlPXf/?igshid=fidfu9ko92cr

“The winner has many friends, but a person who lost has real ones,” Nurmagomedov wrote on Instagram. “Keep your head up, you already proved that you are one of the best who ever compete in this sport.”

The pair train out of American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, California. Khabib Nurmagomedov recently told reporters he wants Daniel Cormier to retire after he fights at UFC 241. However, the AKA athletes were not expecting a loss.

Nurmagomedov faces Dustin Poirier in the main event of UFC 242 on September 7th and will be doing all in his power not to suffer the same fate as his friend “DC”. The Dagestan fighter could also be looking at an anticipated rematch against Conor McGregor if he defeats Poirier in the upcoming fight.

What do you think is next for Cormier at UFC 241?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 8/16/2019.