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AnecdoteVideo · 18:28 — 19:58

In 12 years of training with Khabib, Ali has never once seen anyone pass his guard, tap him, or seen him quit or give up mentally.

Ali, who has trained alongside Khabib for over a decade, says he's never seen anyone pass his guard or tap him, and unlike other elite grapplers, Khabib never mentally quits even under extreme pressure. ✦ AI generated

Ali · Lex Fridman · 2026-02-25 · original ↗

starts at this moment · 18:28

But you know what interesting? Many guys stop. You do never stop. You keep going... Brother I learned 12 years. This is true. I have never seen anyone pass his guard or tap him.

verbatim transcript · starts at 18:28

Transcript · around this moment

18:28and I put him in my position, [Ali] But you know what interesting? Many guys stop. You do never stop. You keep going. [Khabib] Good, it’s good, brother. [Ali] You're my brother, You're a real one. [Lex] It’s an honor, man. [Khabib] But, he feel, he feel. [Lex] I feel it psychologically too. I felt in a low place. [Khabib] Yeah. [Ali] All my life, I feel psychologically, Like I want to give up.

18:49He don't give you a tap. He don’t tap you. You keep going. Sometimes you tap, it's reset, start. [Khabib] Mentally smash Mentally smash [Lex] Has anyone ever done that to you? The last time [Khabib] With me, no. [Lex] Maybe when you're a kid. [Khabib] You know, since when I was, 18, 19, I was, I always was against, high level guys. [Lex] Yeah. [Khabib] Because in my gym, I have, always high level guys.

19:16This who I grew up the ground game. [Lex] So they're always... [Ali] Brother I learned 12 years. This is true. I have never seen anyone pass his guard or tap him. [Khabib] Sometimes. Sometimes in gym, I just come change clothes. Sometimes we'll go 1.5 hour nonstop. One 20, one 10, one hour, one and a half other, more than one hour. Non-stop. Maybe changing four or five opponents.

19:4210-15 minutes, another guy, 10-15 minutes. [Lex] You keep going, [Khabib] I keep going, I used to play too long. Long. [Lex] And what happens to you mentally? [Khabib] Mentally, In my mind, I was like, thinking how somebody can make me tired. [Lex] I see you wanting to go on and... [Khabib] Keep going. All my life, keep going, keep going. [Lex] You know Dan Gable wrestler? [Khabib] Yeah.

20:09Olympic champion. [Lex] Yeah! He he said, he always said in practice he wanted to go until he quits. He never got there. He kept trying. [Khabib] That's why he's the best. he's Olympic champion. [Lex] Yeah Olympic champion. [Khabib] I just come back from, training camp. I have training camp in Dubai. I have 25 people they know. They know, every day I go, morning and night, and all the champions.

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