Perhaps that’s why Team Khamzat isn’t taking the bait.
“That’s part of the game,” coach Alan Nascimento told MMA Fighting. “But this whole thing of ‘I’m going to shoot him’ and all that, I think that’s just nonsense. Nobody is going to take things to that level. It doesn’t make sense. This whole trash talk thing is something that’s accepted now, it’s normal, so everyone is going to use whatever they can to try to destabilize the other person. Even if they talk about things that, from my point of view, in my humble opinion, I wouldn’t do. I don’t think it’s a man’s move when you bring up family, kids, you know? But if that’s what’s available, then everyone’s going to use it.”
“My role is simply to talk to my athlete and make sure he doesn’t let this affect him mentally or psychologically because that area needs to be very well protected,” Nascimento said. “We know the responsibility we have. That’s my job. And Khamzat Chimaev is much more mature now. Certain things we used to have to deal with before don’t happen anymore. The work is being done in a very smooth way, to be honest.”