You can never compare him to Khabib: James Nakashima on Saygid Izagakhmaev

06 January 2022

James Nakashima has his hands full at ONE: Heavy Hitters as he will be welcoming Khabib Nurmagomedov’s protege, Saygid Izagakhmaev into ONE Championship.

Currently coming off a loss against Shinya Aoki, Nakashima will be eager to get back to winning ways and the challenge posed by Saygid is a big one. The Dagestani MMA star comes in with a lot of hype due to his association with Khabib Nurmagomedov but Nakashima believes that Saygid cannot be compared to Khabib.

“That’s the thing. Like, I never put anybody on a pedestal. I don’t know. I see his grappling in his fights, and his grappling is solid. I mean, you can never compare him to somebody like Khabib, but we’ll see. There’s going to be some important moments in this fight and grappling situations, and I’m going to have to be very, very sound there,” Nakashima noted to ONE Championship.

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He further added that Khabib being in the corner of Saygid might work as a confidence boost.

“I love that Khabib’s going to be there, honestly. It’s like being in the gym, and it’s empty, rather than, like, you’re working out in the gym, and there’s a hot chick over there – it just makes you work out a little bit harder. I’m thinking maybe the same thing with Khabib. Maybe it subconsciously just takes me to another level performing in front of him,” he added.

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What do you think will happen when James Nakashima fights Saygid Izagakhmaev at ONE: Heavy Hitters on January 14, 2022? Let us know your predictions for the fight in the comment section of the article below.

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