Since his retirement from mixed martial arts in 2021, former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has been a man of few words.
However, after learning about Islam Makhachev, a colleague of Nurmagomedov’s, and his last-minute rematch with reigning featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski in just 10 days, late on Tuesday night, UFC CEO Dana White, Nurmagomedov offered his opinion on the matter on the X platform.
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From April 2018 to October 2020, Nurmagomedov held the title, defeating opponents including Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje.
Khabib in a video shared on X, sent a message in favour of Islam stating: “Islam is a world champion right now,” Nurmagomedov said. “If someone can make 155 and the UFC said, ‘This guy’s a contender.’ Who cares? Doesn’t matter. Doesn’t matter who. If King Kong can make 155, okay, bring this guy here. Doesn’t matter. I told Ali, Islam this morning, ‘It doesn’t matter. You’re the world champion. Volk, Charles, Justin. Doesn’t matter. Doesn’t matter who.”
Although Makhachev and Volkanovski’s initial battle was competitive, according to Nurmagomedov, Makhachev was the superior fighter on that February night.
However, the UFC featherweight champion is accepting the fight with only 10 days’ notice despite Volkanovski’s absence due to a prior injury, making the new UFC 294 main event perhaps even better than the original. The initial foe of Makhachev was Charles Oliveira, who was severely gashed on his eyebrow on Monday night.
As part of a multi-year agreement, the promotion will visit Abu Dhabi for the event for the second time in a row in October. In addition, Makhachev has fought twice in the United Arab Emirates in his last three fights. At UFC 280 in October, he defeated Oliveira for the lightweight championship.
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