WATCH: Islam Makhachev Shuts Reporter and Has the Audience in Stitches With a Savage Response About Fight With ‘Brother’ Khabib Nurmagomedov for the UFC Title

Afnan Chougle | 02/10/2022

Islam Makhachev is a well-known name in the UFC’s lightweight division. Since 2016, the Dagestan native has never lost a fight. He is currently undefeated in ten fights.

Makhachev trained under the father of former UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, who died in 2020. Following that, Nurmagomedov announced his retirement from the sport with a 29-0 record.

‘The Eagle’ has been training his friends and teammates for their respective MMA careers ever since. Makhachev is one of those close friends of Nurmagomedov. They’ve even said that they’re like brothers to each other at times.

Makhachev’s performances have improved significantly since training with the former champion. As a result, he holds a high regard for ‘The Eagle,’ as evidenced by his response to a reporter once.

What did Islam Makhachev say about Khabib Nurmagomedov

During one of his media appearances, a reporter posed a difficult question to Islam Makhachev. The UFC fighter was asked what he would do if Nurmagomedov was the champion and he had to fight him for the title as a number contender.

Makhachev has a very smart answer to the question. He replied in a very simple tone, “If I need belt. I go Khabib’s home and take it.” This has the crowd in a laughing riot. Makhachev’s answer impressed even the reporter, and he praised him for the same.

ALSO READ: ‘No. 1 of All Time’ Islam Makhachev Is the Only Fighter Who Defeated Khabib Nurmagomedov in More Rounds, Per Head Coach

Islam Makhachev is one step closer to Khabib Nurmagomedov’s dream

Ever since ‘The Eagle’ started training Makhachev, he has had only one goal in mind: making his friend the UFC champion. Even Nurmagomedov’s father had the same dream, per the former champion.

Now finally, after a long wait, Makhachev is set to take on Charles Oliveira next for the UFC lightweight gold at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi this month. Oliveira is not an easy opponent. He possesses almost a similar ground game as the Dagestan.

ALSO READ: Conor McGregor’s Twitter Rival Instructs Islam Makhachev to ‘Go Full Throttle’ Before His Fight Against Charles Oliveira at UFC 280

However, having Nurmagomedov by his side has always helped Makhachev in his UFC career. Thus, he might have an upper hand in the fight, with one of the greatest minds in the sport besides him.

Who do you guys think will win this fight? What are your thoughts on the relationship between Makhachev and Nurmagomedov?

Post Edited By: Afnan Chougle
Charles Oliveira Islam Makhachev Khabib Nurmagomedov

About the author

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Afnan Chougle

Afnan Chougle is a UFC author and content manager at The SportsRush. Afnan has written over 900 articles about combat sports before joining The SportsRush. He has now worked in the industry for over two years. He uses his expertise and enthusiasm to advance his professional career and offers insightful commentary on anything related to combat sports. Since UFC 229, Khabib Nurmagomedov fan Afnan has faithfully followed MMA. Besides "The Eagle," Muhammad Ali is his favorite athlete. Apart from his professional exploits as a UFC journalist, Afnan enjoys honing his skills as an amateur actor/boxer and loves going on occasional treks.

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