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“Nothing Was Planned”: Islam Makhachev Details Khabib’s Encounter With Donald Trump at UFC 302

Kevin Binoy
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“Nothing Was Planned”: Islam Makhachev Details Khabib’s Encounter With Donald Trump at UFC 302

The UFC hosts the who’s who of celebrityhood at their PPV events. But none of them have ever come out to the cheers of the crowd like Donald Trump does. This time the cheers were even louder as Trump was hugged by Khabib Nurmagomedov, an event that Islam Makhchev claims was totally unplanned.

The lightweight champion spent the last few weeks of his training camp in the United States preparing for Dustin Poirier. After a successful title defense, the champion flew back to his hometown of Makhachkalam where Makhachev was asked about Nurmagomedov’s interaction with Trump.

The champion shed light on it saying,

“It was all on camera, nothing was planned. Trump was sitting cageside so when Khabib left the cage, they met. Trump already said a long time ago that Khabib was one of his favourite fighters. He loves fighting, often attends UFC events, so it was just a random meeting.”


The Eagle’ was one of the cornermen for Makhachev for his fight against Poirier. After securing the win, ‘The Eagle’ exchanged a few words with Trump on his way back to the locker rooms.

During their interaction, ‘The Eagle’ urged Trump to end the massacre in Palestine. Meanwhile, people are concerned about a different story.

Following Islam’s statement about how he feels its easier during fights if Khabib is in his corner, people have been wondering if ‘The Eagle’ will continue doing that.

Khabib Nurmagomedov to return to cornerman duties for Islam Makhachev?

Khabib assumed the role of coach following his retirement. He led Makhachev to the belt and once that was done, he stepped away from coaching altogether.

Makhachev fought twice without Nurmagomedov in his corner. However, for UFC 302, ‘The Eagle’ not only assumed the role of coach but was also in the champion’s corner.

So, when Islam was asked if ‘The Eagle’ would seen regularly in his corner going forward, Makhachev said that ‘The Eagle’ would be present for important fights.


Meanwhile, the champion also stated that he would return to action once more before the end of the year to defend his belt again. While he did not name an opponent, it is widely presumed that Arman Tsarukyan will be taking on the job of getting it done.

Post Edited By:Smrutisnat Jena

About the author

Kevin Binoy

Kevin Binoy

With more than 4 years of journalistic experience in the mixed martial arts industry, Kevin Binoy is a true connoisseur of the sport. He is an MMA journalist at The SportsRush but the 'break room historian' watches every sport under the sun. While his degree in economics enables him to call Paris home, Kevin only ever humbly brags having caught a glimpse of Demetrious Johnson that one time LIVE in Singapore. Kevin has covered countless UFC PPVs with over 2500 articles and millions of views to his name. He mainly covers PPVs and Fight Nights but also has a finger on the pulse of MMA pop culture.

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