Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Cousin Earns ‘Kyrie Irving’ Nickname Following Basketball Skills Showcase

Souvik Roy | 19/03/2024
Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Cousin Earns ‘Kyrie Irving’ Nickname Following Basketball Skills Showcase

The noted NBA star, Kyrie Irving may have shaken up the sports world with his buzzer-beater against the Denver Nuggets. But recently a group of UFC stars proved that they don’t lag far behind as well. A recent video by ‘Championship Rounds’ showcased the Dagestani club of UFC fighters having a recreational game of basketball. But, their style of playing was noticeably different from regular basketball players. It also had the fans comparing them to the noted Dallas Mavericks star.

The Dagestani club included a few noted UFC faces like Islam Makahchev and Umar Nurmagomedov. The caption of the video called the sport, ‘Dagestani Basketball’ as they included takedowns more than dribbling. The entire caption read,

“Islam Makhachev and Umar Nurmagomedov, amongst other teammates, playing ‘Dagestani Basketball’”

There were a couple of fans who associated Irving’s name with the entire scenario. One of them warned his friend of getting choked if he tries to imitate Irving’s moves in this special genre of basketball.

His comment read, “@__BrownSsugar pulling out Kyrie dribble moves here will have you catching a guillotine”.

Another one hailed a superb score by Khabib Nurmagomedov’s cousin in the video and labeled him as “Dagestani Kyrie”.

One more fan pointed out the differences between the regular and Dagestani version of basketball. He wrote, “Dribbling prohibited, takedowns allowed.”

One follower also lauded a move by the UFC lightweight champ commenting, “Islam hit him with the American football stutter step, juke move that boy icey with it.”

Apart from being compared to noted UFC faces, Irving also earned appreciation from the UFC icon, Derek Brunson for his heroic performance against the Denver Nuggets. His fans and Brunson will hope that he can showcase a similar performance in their next match.

Will Kyrie Irving be able to repeat his performance in his next match against San Antonio Spurs?

Well, Irving’s incredible left hand floater in the dying seconds of the Mavericks vs. Nuggets match may be labeled as a once-in-a-lifetime performance. It’s quite difficult to showcase a similar performance since the situation in the Mavericks vs. Nuggets match may not repeat itself.

But Irving has been one of Mavericks’ strongest points. He holds the sixth rank among all the qualified players this season in converting Free Throws. Hence, it’s quite apparent that he can play a major role in steering his side to another victory against the Spurs, even if it is not as startling as his buzzer-beater score.

Post Edited By: Debmallya Chakraborty
Islam Makahchev Kyrie Erving Umar Nurmagomedov

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Souvik Roy

The coveted boxing bout between Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson in 2002 was the first combat sports event that Souvik ever witnessed. However, he fell for the UFC when he knew about it in 2010. After starting as an occasional viewer back then, Souvik has been watching UFC events almost regularly from late 2017. He began his career as a UFC(MMA) and combat sports journalist in the year 2022 after gathering a lot of valuable knowledge about MMA and a few other combat sports disciplines. He has written more than 1300 articles about various UFC and other combat sports events prior to joining The SportsRush. Apart from being a journalist, Souvik is also an ardent fan of the UFC. Hence, he always looks to have conversations about the same with others. He has a deep affinity for striking part of MMA and other combat sports and Dustin ‘The Diamond’ Poirier is the warrior of his choice in the current UFC roster. Souvik also serves as the Lead Vocalist of a rock band during his time free from publishing reports.

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