Tag: Khabib Nurmagomedov

Khabib Nurmagomedov: There is a champion and is name is Charles Oliveira – but he’s not undisputed champion

There’s a difference between champion and undisputed champion, according to Khabib Nurmagomedov.

[autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] gives [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] a tremendous amount of credit. He even considers Oliveira the current UFC lightweight champion when the promotion does not.

With that said, however, there is a big distinction between UFC lightweight champion and undisputed UFC lightweight champion, Nurmagomedov explained in a recent interview with ESPN. In his eyes, Oliveira (33-8 MMA, 21-8 UFC) is the former but not the latter.

“If Charles wins against Islam, we have to give him credit,” Nurmagomedov said. “Then he’s going to be undisputed UFC lightweight champion. Right now, I believe he’s champion. I believe even this. People talk about the half-pound. I believe he deserved it. Right now, in this moment, he deserved to be champion. He’s doing a very good job, you know? But he’s not undisputed. When I finished, I was undisputed.”

The central argument Nurmagomedov made was he fought more prime contenders and solidified himself without question as the 155-pound division’s best. Oliveira has one box left unchecked, a fighter Nurmagomedov thinks is the best in the world, his longtime teammate [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] (22-1 MMA, 11-1 UFC).

Nurmagomedov heavily lobbied for Makhachev to be next, though UFC president Dana White has remained publicly noncommittal. According to Nurmagomedov, White recently ignored his texts, which lobbied for the potential matchup.

“The last couple of years, people don’t even touch him,” Nurmagomedov said. “They don’t even touch him. He fight with Drew Dober. He fight with all these guys. They’re good strikers (and) they don’t even touch him, even one time, two time. Islam dominated them, all of them. The last 11 months, he finished four opponents. He finished all of them.”

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Mostly soft-spoken and serious during his fighting career, Nurmagomedov has been a bit more outspoken as a coach. Not only did he lobby for Makhachev vs. Oliveira, he wants it in Brazil and promised a finish.

“It was me. Now, it will become Islam,” Nurmagomedov said. “This is like father told. He say, ‘Last 10 years, best lightweight in the world, this is my students.’ This is how my father told. ‘When Khabib going to finish, Islam going to come.’ OK, if they want Brazil, no problem. We’re going to come to Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, no problem. We’re going to come there two weeks before the fight, rent some big house, come with big team, make weight (not like Charles Oliveira). We’re going to make weight.

“We’re going to finish Charles Oliveira on his game, on the ground – on the ground, on Brazilian land,” Nurmagomedov said. “We’re going to teach all fans what is top control, how we finish people. We’re going to get the belt and go back. We’re going to take some big hugs from Brazilian fans. They’re going to love Islam’s ground game.”

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Khabib Nurmagomedov wants to work with Bellator to book Junior Dos Santos vs. Fedor Emelianenko

If Junior Dos Santos is victorious at Eagle FC 47, Khabib has big plans for the former UFC heavyweight champ.

Eagle FC owner [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] has big plans for [autotag]Junior Dos Santos[/autotag].

First Dos Santos has to get past Yorgan De Castro on Friday in the Eagle FC 47 main event at FLXcast Arena in Miami. The fight will serve as Dos Santos’ promotional debut and his first action since he was released by the UFC in early 2021 following a four-fight losing streak.

If Dos Santos (21-9) gets back in the win column, Nurmagomedov made it clear that he wants to work with Bellator to try and book the former UFC heavyweight champion against [autotag]Fedor Emelianenko[/autotag] (40-6).

“If Dos Santos win, I really want to make Dos Santos vs. Fedor fight,” Nurmagomedov said Wednesday at an Eagle FC 47 pre-fight news conference. “But he has to focus on Yorgan for next, because this fighter here is tough opponent. I want to talk with my friend, Scott Coker, because Fedor is under Bellator contract. I don’t know what they’re gonna do next with him, but definitely we can talk, and we can do something. We can create some story. …

“Why not? These two guys was long time the face of MMA. Fedor was the greatest fighter of all time in my opinion, and Dos Santos was heavyweight champion a couple years in UFC. These two guys, I think they deserve and fans deserve. For me, it’s a very interesting matchup, too.”

Count Dos Santos in.

“I’m a big, big, BIG fan of Fedor, and I really belive – like Khabib said – that he is the greatest,” Dos Santos said. “That was a magical time in the MMA world when he did those amazing fights with ‘Big Nog.’ I wasn’t even fighting at that time, but I was such a big fan of them. For me, because I trained with ‘Big Nog,’ as well, it was always kind of a dream, the biggest thing I would like to achieve in my career would be to fight Fedor. So to hear that may be possible now, it’s just amazing.”

Whether or not Bellator president Scott Coker would be interested remains to be seen, although he’s openly advocated for cross-promotion fights and booked them when they make sense. Emelianenko, 45, has one fight left on his Bellator contract, which is expected to be his retirement fight. It’s unclear what that will be, although Coker recently said Emelianenko “deserves to have the largest platform and the biggest fight and the biggest event to hold his final fight.”

A matchup of legends with 38-year-old Dos Santos just might qualify.

Emelianenko, 45, most recently turned back the clock by knocking out Tim Johnson last October at Bellator 269 in Moscow, giving him back-to-back wins.

Daniel Cormier sees a scenario where Charles Oliveira lures Khabib Nurmagomedov from retirement

“But what if defending his friend’s honor is enough, if Islam doesn’t get the job done.”

[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] wonders if a [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] victory over the surging [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] could bring set up a scenario where [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] returns to the UFC.

Oliveira (33-8 MMA, 21-8 UFC) was stripped of his lightweight title after missing weight for his UFC 274 fight against Justin Gaethje, but wound up winning by submission in Round 1.

As a result, Oliveira’s next fight will be for the vacant belt, and Makhachev (22-1 MMA, 11-1 UFC)  has been campaigning to face him.

During a current 11-fight winning streak, Oliveira has finished Michael Chandler, Dustin Poirier, and Gaethje. His resume is generating discussion about whether he’s the greatest lightweight in UFC history, a label which many believe currently belongs to Nurmagomedov (29-9 MMA, 13-0 UFC).

Although Nurmagomedov never lost in MMA competition prior to his retirement in October 2020, it seems Brazil’s Oliveira has a skillset that could seriously challenge the future UFC Hall of Famer. Cormier, who is longtime friend and training partner of Nurmagomedov, wonders if an Oliveira victory over Nurmagomedov’s protege Makhachev, could be enough to pull “The Eagle” out of retirement.

“Man, it’ll be nice to see him (Oliveira) fight Khabib, right?,” Cormier said on his ESPN show “DC & RC.” “Many people have said that, ‘It’ll be nice to know, it’ll be nice to know.’ What better way to try to draw him back in than by having Oliveira beat his friend, training partner and long time – it’s another way to try to draw him in because obviously the money, Dana’s throwing so much money at Khabib to try to get him back, that hasn’t been enough. But what if defending his friend’s honor is enough, if Islam doesn’t get the job done?”

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Makhachev is currently on a 10-fight winning streak and has been linked to a bout with Beneil Dariush for months. But with Dariush currently healing from an ankle injury which forced him out of their UFC Fight Night 202 headliner in February, Makhachev is eager to compete for the belt against Oliveira right away and Cormier thinks his resume warrants that opportunity.

“When it’s based on merit and you look at what he’s done, 10 fights in a row, beating Dan Hooker in the way that he did…everybody that he’s fought, he’s dominated and when we look at Charles Oliveira today, whoever Charles Oliveira is fighting he is dominating,” Cormier said. “So we want to see the best lightweights in the world fight each other, and I understand that he had one more step to cross in terms of Beneil Dariush, (but) Beneil Dariush is hurt right now.

“So I think it’s fast forward Islam Makhachev to the championship and make him versus Charles Oliveira, 11 wins in a row, 10 wins in a row and a tremendous matchup too because Islam is not going to be afraid to engage with Charles Oliveira in those spots that make Charles so dangerous. He’s going to wrestle him, he’s going to grapple with Charles and no one has really lived to speak of grappling with Charles.”

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Khabib Nurmagomedov to Dana White: ‘You have no other choice’ than Oliveira vs. Makhachev for vacant belt

Khabib Nurmagomedov is adamant that Islam Makhachev needs to fight Charles Oliveira for the vacant title after UFC 274.

[autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] is adamant that [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] needs to the be the man to fight [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] for the vacant lightweight title after UFC 274.

Nurmagomedov, a former 155-pound titleholder, was watching closely as Oliveira (33-8 MMA, 21-8 UFC) submitted Justin Gaethje (23-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) in the first round of Saturday’s main event at Footprint Center in Phoenix. The belt became vacant with the result because Oliveira missed weight in what was a stunning twist leading into fight night.

UFC president Dana White has said Oliveira will “a hundred percent” be one half of the next divisional title fight; it’s just a matter of who will be the opponent standing across from him.

There are a number of potential contenders, including Michael Chandler, Dustin Poirier, Beneil Dariush, and Conor McGregor. There’s a fighter who is currently riding a better winning streak than any of those names, though, and that’s Makhachev (22-1 MMA, 11-1 UFC), who has won his past 10 fights overall.

Nurmagomedov thinks Makhachev, who is his teammate, pupil and good friend, is the obvious candidate. And he sees UFC 281 on Oct. 22 in Abu Dhabi as a date that makes perfect sense for the matchup to materialize (via Twitter):

@danawhite you have no other choice but make Oliveira vs Islam fight in AbuDhabi 22 October.
Perfect date, Perfect location,Perfect opponents with perfect winning streaks 10 vs 11

Why @MAKHACHEVMMA has to do contender fight, if there’s no champion in this division 🤷‍♂️ @ufc @danawhite

Makhachev, 30, has suffered just one loss in his 23-fight career. He’s coming off four consecutive finishes over Drew Dober, Thiago Moises, Dan Hooker and Bobby Green. The Russian was supposed to fight Dariush in February, but the matchup fell apart due to an injury. And with his streak, Makhachev – and clearly Nurmagomedov – think they should be next in line (via Twitter):

Congrats Charles and see you in AbuDhabi for vacant 🏆 #UFC274

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MMA Junkie Radio #3246: Oscars FC result & ONE X results, Khabib wants Covington black listed, more

Monday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here.

Monday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here.

On Episode 3,246, the fellas discussed the mayhem at the Oscars, results from UFC on ESPN 33 and ONE X. They also discuss Khabib Nurmagomedov wanting Colby Covington blacklisted from MMA, and more. Tune in!

Stream or download this and all episodes of MMA Junkie Radio over at OmnyStudio. You can also catch it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and more. A new episode of the podcast is released every Monday and Thursday.

Khabib Nurmagomedov: Colby Covington should be blacklisted in UFC after Jorge Masvidal’s arrest

“Once you have gone down that path, then be ready to back up your words.”

[autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] got what he deserved.

On Monday, [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] allegedly launched a sneak attack and punched former-best-friend-turned-foe Covington multiple times outside a Miami hotspot. “Gamebred” was detained by police Wednesday evening, and now Masvidal faces a pair of charges, including one count of aggravated battery resulting in great bodily harm and one count of criminal mischief.

Nurmagomedov, a former longtime UFC lightweight champion, is no stranger to extracurricular action involving a rival. He was suspended for his post-fight brawl with Conor McGregor at UFC 229 in 2018, and also was the target of an infamous bus attack from the Irishman in the months prior to their grudge match.

Given his familiarity with feuds that go beyond octagon competition, Nurmagomedov has come to Masvidal’s defense. Although the identity of the victim of Masvidal’s alleged attack has been redacted from police reports under “Marsy’s Law,” video footage around the incident and numerous reports label Covington as the target.

Nurmagomedov is dismayed that the police even got involved after the alleged incident, though. He questioned charges being brought upon Masvidal, and called for Covington to be blacklisted by fellow fighters as a consequence (via Twitter):

“If you are stronger than someone inside the octagon, it does not mean you can insult his children. No one has the right to insult someone’s family. Once you have gone down that path, then be ready to back up your words. You were attacked by professional fighter, the same as you are, your own size, and you go press charges against him to the police? I think all welterweights should refuse to fight Colby, just don’t accept fights with him, let him sit without a fight, it will probably significantly affect him and all fighters who even think of insulting families, who is provoking the fighters to look for someone in restaurants to deal with him.”

The alleged incident came just 16 days after Covington (17-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) picked up a lopsided unanimous decision over Masvidal (35-16 MMA, 12-9 UFC) in the UFC 272 main event. In the buildup to the fight Covington mentioned Masvidal’s wife and called him a “deadbeat dad,” among other personal insults. Masvidal said their UFC fight didn’t dismiss those comments, and vowed Covington would pay if they crossed paths in the Miami area, where both reside (via Twitter):

According to Masvidal’s manager Malki Kawa, his client has been released from police custody. Masvidal was held on $15,000 bond following his arrest (via Twitter):

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Former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos signs with Eagle FC, debut set for May 20

Junior dos Santos is set to make his return to MMA in a main event on May 20 in Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Eagle FC.

[autotag]Junior Dos Santos[/autotag] is back.

The former UFC heavyweight champion is set to return to MMA action he has signed with [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag]’s Eagle FC. Dos Santos (21-9) is set to headline an upcoming event on May 20 against fellow UFC veteran Yorgan De Castro. MMA Junkie confirmed the news following an initial report from ESPN.

Dos Santos, 38, exited the UFC in 2020, closing the book on an incredible run with the promotion where he racked up 15 victories in 23 fights. His crowning achievement came at UFC on FOX 1, where he knocked out Cain Velasquez in just 64 seconds. He would defend his title against Frank Mir at UFC 146 before revisiting his iconic rivalry with Velasquez.

Since his exit from MMA, Dos Santos has dabbled in professional wrestling, making appearances and competing in matches in AEW. He was also set to fight in the main event of Triller’s Triad Combat against Kubrat Pulev before the event ultimately fell apart.

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De Castro (8-3), 34, will look to extend his two-fight win streak, as he enters May 20’s main event on the heels of a first-round finish of Shaun Asher at Eagle FC 44 in January. The Dana White’s Contender Series veteran fought four times under the UFC banner before his exit, ultimately landing in Eagle FC after one fight in CES.

The co-main event of the May 20 event will see a pair of new signees to Eagle FC clash, as Hector Lombard meets Thiago Silva in a light heavyweight bout.

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Eagle FC signs former Bellator and BKFC champion Hector Lombard, UFC veteran Thiago Silva

Eagle FC adds a pair of UFC veterans to its growing roster.

[autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag]’s Eagle FC continues to add familiar names to its roster.

A pair of UFC veterans have signed with the promotion as [autotag]Hector Lombard[/autotag] and [autotag]Thiago Silva[/autotag] now have a new home to showcase their skills. The promotion announced the signings Wednesday at a news conference ahead of Eagle FC 46. Both fighters will compete in the light heavyweight division.

Lombard (34-10-1), 44, has been active under the BKFC banner since his exit from the UFC in 2018. In just his third fight with the promotion, he claimed the inaugural cruiserweight title by defeating Joe Riggs at BKFC 18. The former Bellator middleweight champion has not competed in MMA since Sept. 2018, but has kept his striking sharp in the bareknuckle competition.

Silva (21-9), 39, made 12 walks to the UFC’s octagon during his tenure with the promotion before his exit in 2013. Since then, he has fought in multiple promotions including WSOF and ACB, including a stop in the kickboxing ring under the Glory banner in 2017. Silva was last in action at KSW 49 in May 2019.

Eagle FC has not yet announced opponents or debut dates for either new signee.

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Khabib Nurmagomedov headlines 2022 UFC Hall of Fame class

Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.

Former UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame, headlining the Class of 2022.

Nurmagomedov, who abruptly retired from the sport in October 2020 following the tragic passing of his father and head coach Abdulmanap, had his planned induction announced during Saturday’s UFC 272 broadcast.

“The Eagle” retired from MMA competition with a flawless 29-0 record, including a 13-0 run with the UFC that included noteworthy wins over the likes of Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje, and more.

Nurmagomedov was sitting cageside at UFC 272 while the announcement was made, and he was showered with affection from the likes of UFC president Dana White, his longtime manager, Ali Abdelaziz, pupil Islam Makhachev, and others.

Since retiring from competition, Nurmagomedov has transitioned to the role of coach left behind by his father. He’s been largely successful, helping breed the next generation of talent from Russia and Dagestani.

Moreover, Nurmagomedov has become a fight promoter. He co-owns the Eagle FC organization, which returns next weekend with an event headlined by Kevin Lee vs. Diego Sanchez.

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Khabib Nurmagomedov hopes for ‘new blood’ UFC title fight of Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev

Khabib Nurmagomedov would prefer to see Islam Makhachev challenge Charles Oliveira for UFC gold over Justin Gaethje.

[autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] was impressed with the poise and execution of [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] at UFC Fight Night 202.

Even after a late opponent change from Beneil Dariush to Bobby Green in Saturday’s main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Makhachev (22-1 MMA, 11-1 UFC) remained focused on the task at hand and left the octagon with a lopsided first-round TKO, extending his winning streak to 10 consecutive fights.

Makhachev could’ve easily been shaken when he went from highly ranked lightweight contender Dariush to unranked fan favorite Green on just 10 days’ notice, but he did not complain and instead delivered another dominant performance.

The way in which Makhachev handled the whole thing was quite impressive from the perspective of his coach and mentor Nurmagomedov.

“Islam takes this like real champion,” Nurmagomedov said on the UFC Fight Night 202 post-fight show. “It doesn’t matter who his opponent is. The goal is going to stay the same. Same goal, different opponent. Of course we feel a little bit bad he don’t fight Beneil. He have big injury and end of this year, he’s going to come back. If he wins one fight, he’s going to be next in the line.”

Although Nurmagomedov appreciated Green’s willingness to step up and fight Makhachev on such short notice, he said he was confident the fight would unfold as it did. He knew the skill gap was too much, and especially under the circumstances.

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“I don’t want to disrespect Bobby Green,” Nurmagomedov said. “I watched a lot of his fights. But there is levels always. I always tell people: There is fighters, there is champions, there is elite. I think Bobby Green is like a fighter. Islam is elite. This is what I think and what I feel when I train with him for a long time.”

Makhachev’s win over Green may have set the table for his first UFC championship fight. Nurmagomedov held the UFC lightweight belt for some time, but since retiring, he’s been pushing for Makhachev to be the one to take over at 155 pounds.

Nurmagomedov’s former title currently is in the possession of Charles Oliveira, who puts it on the line against Justin Gaethje at UFC 274 on May 7. All signs point to Makhachev getting the winner of that fight, and his goal appears to be for it to happen at the UFC’s annual event in Abu Dhabi, which is likely to take place this fall.

Nurmagomedov sees that as the timeline for his pupil to challenge for gold, as well. He’s not 100 percent certain who would enter that bout as potential champion, but admitted Oliveira vs. Makhachev would be the bigger fight.

“Dana (White) says they are going to make very big show in Abu Dhabi later this year, and I think this place is where Islam is going to compete and fight for the title,” Nurmagomedov said. “If I say I think Justin Gaethje is going to win, maybe people are going to think because I fight with him, that’s why I want him to win – something like this. For UFC, it’s going to be better if Charles Oliveira wins – 11-win streak vs. 10-win streak. Two new blood for lightweight division.

“I really want Charles and Islam fight, but I’m not going to be surprised because Justin Gaethje have so much experience and big heart. If you want to beat him, you have to finish him. If not going to be finish, I think Justin Gaethje going to win this fight if Charles can’t finish him.”

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