[theme music]
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[lounge music]
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>> Well, hello.
Welcome to another edition of the Din Diaries.
We are back on Fight Island,
and I got something very special for you this time.
I'm going to give some love
to some people who never get it.
People like me.
The coaches!
Now we're going to talk about
what it takes to bring fighters up;
what it takes to get to the championship level.
We're gonna see what's inside the mind
of these coaches that we all love and adore.
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[energetic music]
Not a lot of people might notice about you,
but you have two wins
over Urijah Faber.
He was the WEC champion.
Do your fighters today relate to you
a little bit easier because of that?
>> I mean, being a former fighter
definitely has to give you
some sort of credibility you know.
So maybe it opens your ears a little bit more.
They're a little less quick to dismiss you, maybe.
Hey, you're cruising to victory,
just got to be careful.
Be focused. Be focused.
>> Din: How about you and your fighting career,
and what made you retire?
>> I certainly wanted to do it.
I didn't want to be, I would say it a dry land swimming coach.
>> So you're saying, like, you fought,
to help you become a better coach
>> Yeah, I never I never had great aspirations
to be a champion or anything like that.
At the beginning, I was on the same cards
as my students, I would be cornering them.
And then I'd be, you know,
just because I'd been fighting longer,
I was, you know, main event or comain event,
but I would certainly get a bigger kick
out of their results than my own.
This is it now. Championship rounds.
>> You have to explode for one minute,
then it's done.
Okay? >> Okay.
>> Hey, you're strong.
You're looking strong.
>> Din: You seem to have placed a lot of importance
on the relationship between coach and fighter.
>> Henri: Yeah.
>> Din: So what's your relationship like
with Michael Chandler.
Like, how'd you meet him?
And what's that relationship like?
>> Well, Michael came,
I think it was 6 years ago or something.
He was already a champion.
So he came over to try it out and he never left.
What is good with Michael
is that he's very consistent, very hard worker.
And he is he loves winning, you know.
It's just-- >> Din: He's very competitive.
>> Henri: He's very competitive.
He is addicted to winning in everything he does.
>> Din: Has it been more rewarding for you as a coach
to get wins or as a fighter to win a fight?
>> It's not much difference.
Dude, you know, what's crazy is the highs
feel as high.
But the lows aren't quite as slow.
Oh [bleep] that's tight.
They hurt, of course.
They sting.
I feel crushed when the guy loses.
But at least as a coach,
I'm able to go and coach again,
and maybe, I guess, I put it behind me
quicker than the fighter does.
>> Henri: But sparring was one of my favorite things.
I mean, it's closest to a fight I can get.
I'm 51. >> Din: Yeah.
>> Henri: I can't fight anymore.
>> Get in there and scrap.
>> I take my spot, and I think the guy's
getting tired and like I'm the next round.
DeLuca be, "Okay, Coach come in."
That's good.
>> It seems that you kind of have
a really good relationship.
How important is that for you to have
that type of chemistry with your athletes?
>> I think the big word is trust.
The big word is trust.
It takes months, if not years
to get that level of trust
and with Conor, you know, we're together +15 years.
And we've, like any relationship,
we've had our ups and downs.
We have our tiffs, we have our differences.
But we both are driven by the same thing
and excellence in sport.
And you know I've been there, he's had his losses.
I've been there for them.
Like that saying you know pay attention
who's in the locker room after a loss.
Not who's in there after win.
Winning's easy.
Losing is the tough one.
>> Din: So now we're gonna go visit
a very special coach.
Whenever I go somewhere, I always bring stuff.
Never go in somebody's house empty handed.
[knocking]
>> Yeah! >> Yo.
>> Come in.
What's up, brother. >> What's up, man?
>> What's up; how're you, brother?
I brought you some stuff man.
[intelligible]
>> Come in, please.
>> And some gifts, man, to take home.
I hope it's not offensive, man, you know?
They told me it was good.
>> Please come in, we just finished training.
>> Din: Most people know you as a fighter.
But you're out here as a coach this time?
>> Know, it's like, it's not mean
like I'm coach here.
It's meant like all my brothers fighting.
And then I have to be here,
if I'm going to be in Dagestan
and then they fighting here in Abu Dhabi.
It's like, going to kill my heart, you know.
When I fight, these guys was always was with me.
I have to support them.
I have to give give them good energy, good advice,
because I have so much what I can give them
in this fight, I'm here.
>> So as a young fighter, what would you say
is probably one of the most important things
that you need in order to get to the next level?
>> If young fighter come from wrestling,
I'm gonna give him advice.
Don't become striker
because you wrestle all your life,
like 10-12 years.
Now you want to become striking guy.
You need like maybe 10 more years, you know.
You guys need good top control,
because you guys gonna take down guys very easy,
but they're gonna get up.
If your top control become better,
you're gonna take him down,
hold him good, make him tired,
and when your guys give up,
you're gonna smash him on the feet.
>> Din: As a coach, if you had one core value,
one core principle that you wanted to instill
into a fighter, what would that be?
>> Khabib: Listen to your coach.
If you have a good coach
who can take everything together?
And you know, and you listen to him.
You believe him.
You trust him 100%, you guys can become
pound for pound number one fighter
like me and Coach.
I think is perfect example,
for guys who want to become best.
>> You can do it, man.
Try to keep it center as best as possible.
>> Din: If you would have put your whole coaching style
in a nutshell, what would that be?
>> If you find your passion, life is easy, you know.
Because that's all you're thinking about, anyway.
That's all you want to do.
Nice.
Yes!
>> Henri: I want my fighter to show
the identity that I gave my finest.
They'll come to find--
>> Din: That will be like your core philosophy in training.
>> Yes. It's not me.
It's about him.
He doesn't like that!
Go to the body!
>> Stay with the plan!
Stay with the plan!
>> Is there anything that you can teach them
or share with them from your own experiences?
>> I think it's good to hear from somebody
you respect that it's okay to be nervous
and that's pull them aside and say,
"You know what you're feeling right now?
You know the guy down the down the corridor
in the other locker room?
Going through the exact same thing."
>> Henri: You're sitting in a locker room,
waiting for your fight.
Your coach is telling you what to do.
The music comes.
You walk out to the music.
You step in the ring or the cage
and I will talk about it.
"Look, I still feel it.
I still feel it."
>> John: You're a part of that tiny percent of people
That 1% of 1% that actually made a walk.
That guy that's sitting at the bar with his elbow up
and telling you what you could
and couldn't have done.
Don't pay too much attention.
It's the ones who've done it,
that's whose respect you're looking for
and that's whose respect you're gonna get.
>> Bruce: And... now!
This is the co-main event of the evening!
>> It's a big moment.
All MMA's eyes are on this fight right here.
>> DC: Chandler puts him on his heels right away.
>> He's there, Mike!
The position is there.
>> Din: Hooker is going to his right,
obviously trying to stay away from the right hand
of Michael Chandler.
That's one of his better punches.
>> Jon: Chandler continues to stalk his prey.
>> Composure!
>> Just like that.
>> Jon: Big knockdown!
>> The right-left combination,
another good stoppage.
[cheering]
♪♪
>> Din: Michael Chandler comes out.
And proves he's one of the best in the world.
Proves that he can fight with the best in the world.
He knocked Dan Hooker out.
Didn't really give him a chance to get started.
His right hand and a left hook afterwards
puts Dan Hooker out and that's a wrap.
[yelling]
♪♪
>> How does it feel?
>> I'm proud of you.
I'm proud of you for him as a coach.
>> Good one, Coach.
Congratulations.
>> Thank you.
♪♪
>> Bruce: For those in attendance,
and UFC fans watching around the world.
This is the moment you all
truly have been waiting for!
Live from Etihad Arena on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi!
It's time!
♪♪
>> Congrats, my brother.
Appreciate you.
Way to come here and handle your business.
Monkey off your back now, huh?
>> Jon: Hard to appropriately describe
the tension in this building.
I'd imagine a lot of you are feeling it at home.
In green, immediately takes the center of the octagon
and lands a left hand.
>> DC: This is the important time for Poirier.
You got to get through the early part of the fight.
>> Nice!
Nice!
>> Light him up! Light him up! Light him up!
>> Din: Just as I suspected.
You start shooting the low kicks,
get Conor to come forward to want to counter them low kicks.
He gets closer.
Now you can take him down.
We saw Dustin execute that perfectly.
>> Keep that frame! Keep that frame!
Just focus on under the chin.
>> Yes! Yes!
Outside, move to your left.
>> Paul: There's a solid calf kick there from Poirier.
>> Don't wait!
Level change! Level change!
>> Conor's fighting the fight that I thought he would.
Everybody thought he was going to really try
to take him out in 60 seconds.
I knew he wasn't gonna try to take him out in 60 seconds.
He was gonna turn this into a three round fight.
>> That's the veteran mindset.
>> Din: Yeah.
>> He just gonna go starch him.
Nah, you don't try to starch Dustin Poirier.
>> No.
>> Back hand up on the way out, yeah.
>> Back hand up on the way out. >> Yeah.
>> Other than that, keep doing what you're doing.
Lead hand busy.
♪♪
>> Fight!
>> DC: The fisticuffs are ready to start now.
>> Keep it coming. Keep it coming.
>> Jon: Looks like a debilitating calf kick
there from Poirier.
>> DC: That might've hurt him a little bit.
>> Back hand high! Back hand high!
>> His timing is something else, man.
>> Let it go. Let it go.
♪♪
>> DC: Conor has not checked any of the calf kicks landed.
>> That's it. You'll never get through.
It's there.
When you let go, hit him!
>> Don't wait!
>> Come on, we're not waiting!
We're not waiting!
>> Let's go! He hurt him.
>> DC: That leg's beat up, man.
Dustin Poirier--
>> Jon: Big left from Poirier!
[all yelling]
>> Oh my God!
[yelling]
>> Jon: Dustin Poirier has knocked out Conor McGregor!
Lafayette, Louisiana.
Your guy has done it!
>> Are you kidding me right now?
>> DC: Dustin has done it!
My goodness!
>> Jon: A stunner on Fight Island,
as they attend to Conor,
Dustin Poirier has produced the biggest win
of his career by a mile!
♪♪
>> Din: That's what I'm talking about, boy!
Hey, Dustin.
I'm proud of you, man.
>> Yeah.
>> Jon: What a moment for one of the classiest
and best fighters in the sport.
UFC 257 belongs to Dustin Poirier.
>> Brownie!
Congrats, Coach.
>> How does it feel?
♪♪
>> Din: Coach.
>> Hey, man, it's not me, man.
It's not me.
That's them.
But that's the way the ball bounces, man.
>> John:
>> Hey, thanks for your time, man, for sure.
> Thank you.
>> Din: It was a great night of fights
here at UFC 257.
You got to look inside the eyes
and the mind of the coaches.
See you next time on the Din Diaries.
>> Hey guys, make sure you watch
on Din Diaries on YouTube,
with my brother, Din.