Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev are not just MMA stars. They also share a deep bond forged over many years.
Khabib Nurmagomedov’s contributions to the UFC are not just limited to a legendary run as its lightweight champion. He also opened the doors for several promising talents from Dagestan and nearby regions. One of those promising talents is a close and personal friend Islam Makhachev.
For those who don’t know, Islam Makhachev is set to fight current top lightweight contender Charles ‘do Bronx’ Oliveira at UFC 280 on the 23rd of October, 2022 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
Given their close personal relationship and identical country of origin a lot of people have speculated on the relationship between Islamic Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov.
In fact, many UFC fans have speculated that the two might be brothers. So, we decided to do some digging and find out what exactly is the relationship between the former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and the current number fifth-ranked UFC lightweight contender Islam Makhachev.
Here’s what we found:
Are Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev Brothers?
Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev have trained together since childhood. Both of them trained under the guidance of Khabib’s late father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov and retain a very deep bond with each other. Both fighters have frequently expressed their support for each other and admiration for their accomplishments.
In fact, there is speculation among people who have followed the pair since before the UFC that while Khabib Nurmagomedov was reigning UFC lightweight champion, Makhachev deliberately didn’t move up to the 155-pound category to avoid fighting his childhood friend.
MMA experts have also noted that Nurmagomedov and Makhachev have very similar fighting styles. As a result, experts often compare their fight styles but that has never led to any discord between the two.
In fact, after Khabib left the UFC, Makhachev said he would take Khabib’s place. Moreover, Khabib has predicted that Islam is going to be among the top 10 pound-for-pound MMA fighters in the world.
Recently, Makhachev defended his childhood friend against Conor McGregor via a story on Instagram that is now unavailable on the platform. It goes without saying that Islam Makhachev is in Nurmagomedov’s corner when it comes to anything relating to Conor McGregor or any other feud that affects the former UFC lightweight champion.
Islam has also made statements like “I wanna be like a babe you know he is a great man you know he’s a champion he have a lot of money now lot of everything but he still humble guy.” Suffice to say, even though Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev are not biological brothers, their bond might be just as strong as that if not more.
What Does Khabib Nurmagomedov have to say about Islam Makhachev’s fight against Charles Oliveira at UFC 280?
Khabib Nurmagomedov has made several bold statements in support of his childhood friend Islam Makhachev leading up to his fight for the lightweight title against Charles Oliveira at UFC 280. The former lightweight UFC champion said Islam Makhachev might indeed face Beneil Dariush who is serving as backup for the fight instead of Charles Oliveira.
He has predicted that shows may not even appear for the fight and not surprisingly, Oliveira has fired back with his own statements and added much fuel to the hype before the fight. UFC fans might want to know that aside from Dariush, UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski might also serve as backup for the Oliviera vs Makhachev.
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