Former UFC champion Luke Rockhold discussed a training incident with undefeated fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov during his early tenure at American Kickboxing Academy (AKA).

In a recent podcast, Rockhold shared details regarding rumors of a confrontation with Khabib in the gym parking lot years ago. At the time, Khabib was an up-and-coming prospect training alongside established stars at AKA, including Rockhold, Daniel Cormier and Cain Velasquez. It was alleged that during sparring, Khabib became overly aggressive and kicked Quinton Jackson in the face, prompting Jackson to challenge Khabib to immediately settle matters outside.

However, Rockhold clarified that while tensions arose between himself and Khabib that day, he did not actually engage in a physical altercation in the parking lot as rumored. Though Rockhold admitted being quite angry with Khabib’s behavior in the gym, stating “I was so pissed that…I think I took Khabib…out to the parking lot.” Ultimately, Rockhold diffused the situation without further escalation, acknowledging “I took it easy on him [in] the parking lot.”

While Rockhold considered confronting Khabib outside the gym in his angered state, he ultimately let tensions pass without an actual fight transpiring in the parking lot. This helped bring clarity to some of the more exaggerated accounts of the incident.

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