Tag: Khabib Nurmagomedov

Michael Bisping: Islam Makhachev ‘a new, improved version’ of Khabib Nurmagomedov

Michael Bisping sees Islam Makhachev as version 2.0 of Khabib Nurmagomedov.

[autotag]Michael Bisping[/autotag] sees UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] as version 2.0 of [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag].

Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) will look to tie Nurmagomedov’s record of three lightweight title defenses when he faces Dustin Poirier (30-8 MMA, 22-7 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 302 (pay-per-view/ESPN2/ESPN+) main event at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

Nurmagomedov passed the torch on to his protege after retiring as undefeated lightweight champion in October 2020. Bisping thinks Makhachev is a more well rounded fighter than Nurmagomedov.

“Khabib came first, and he’ll always be remembered for that, for what he did to the sport, how he represented Dagestan and implemented that style,” Bisping told TNT Sports. “It took over the sport, let’s be honest. But his time has gone. It has passed, but Islam is a new, improved version. Look at the head kick knockout of Alexander Volkanovski.

“He’s much, much smoother on the feet. His grappling’s just as good as Khabib’s, or it’s certainly up there. He’s really molding into this champion. He feels it. He walks and talks with a certain bravado and an assurance that comes not from confidence or ego. It comes from knowing what he’s capable of.”

Makhachev revealed that Nurmagomedov will be in his corner for the first time since UFC 280, where he submitted Charles Oliveira to claim the vacant lightweight title. Nurmagomedov previously stated that he retired from cornering fighters, but appears to have changed his tune.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 302.

‘Eagle is landed’: Khabib Nurmagomedov returns to corner Islam Makhachev at UFC 302

UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov will return to Islam Makhachev’s corner for the UFC 302 main event against Dustin Poirier.

After a two-fight absence, Hall of Famer [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] will return to [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag]’s corner at UFC 302 against Dustin Poirier.

In the headliner of the pay-per-view event, Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) will look to defend his lightweight title against former interim titleholder Poirier (30-8 MMA, 22-7 UFC) at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. (ESPN+ PPV).

Makhachev is excited to have his close friend back in his corner after Nurmagomedov was absent for consecutive victories over former featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski.

“Eagle is landed in Jersey City,” Makhachev said in a video on the UFC’s Instagram page. “He’s going to be in my corner. Honestly, I’m very happy because he’s one of the best corner, coach, brother, friend.”

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C7h09kySciF/

Nurmagomedov was last present in Makhachev’s corner for the vacant lightweight title fight against Charles Oliveira at UFC 280. Makhachev submitted Oliveira in Round 2 to become the new undisputed champion.

“The Eagle” was absent from Makhachev’s first and second title defenses against Volkanovski as he stepped away from the sport completely to be with his family. Even without Nurmagomedov physically present, Makhachev said he still felt Nurmagomedov’s influence as he helped from afar. Makhachev would defeat Volkanovski by unanimous decision in their first meeting and then land a vicious head kick for a first-round knockout in the rematch.

Friends since childhood, Makhachev and Nurmagomedov have been tightly linked throughout their MMA careers as training partners. After retiring from competition, Nurmagomedov became a coach and mentor. Now, for his third lightweight title bout, Makhachev will have his top cornerman at his side to take on Poirier.

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Khabib Nurmagomedov: Islam Makhachev has ‘clearly developed plan’ to finish Dustin Poirier by Round 3 at UFC 302

Khabib Nurmagomedov expects Islam Makhachev to defend his lightweight title against Dustin Poirier in convincing fashion at UFC 302.

[autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] expects [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] to defend his lightweight title against Dustin Poirier in convincing fashion at UFC 302.

Nurmagomedov (29-0 MMA, 13-0 UFC), a retired former 155-pound titleholder and a primary coach for Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC), has been diligently preparing his athlete to face a previous opponent of his own in Poirier (30-8 MMA, 22-7 UFC) on Saturday at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+).

Poirier comes into the fight as a sizeable underdog against Makhachev, who is No. 2 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie pound-for-pound rankings. His chances are being dismissed by many, but given his past experience with “The Diamond,” Nurmagomedov is not among that group.

“Many people underestimate Dustin Poirier,” Nurmagomedov said on his YouTube channel. “I personally fought him, spent three rounds and over 10 minutes with him, and I have a good sense of his strengths and weaknesses. We are working hard on these aspects.

“Dustin Poirier is very experienced. He’s been in many battles already. Yes, he has lost, but he also has many victories in the UFC, more than 22 or 23 wins. Using our slang, he is a seasoned warrior. You can’t take him lightly.”

Nurmagomedov defeated Poirier by third-round submission when they fought at UFC 242 in September 2019. That was Poirier’s first chance at an undisputed UFC title, and he lost the same way in his second bid at a belt against Charles Oliveira at UFC 269 in December 2021.

Poirier, 35, has openly admitted to being aware this is almost certainly his final chance at an undisputed championship. That likely means he’s going to put it all on the line inside the cage, so Makhachev, 32, must be ultra-cautious. His team understands this, and Nurmagomedov said that so long as Makhachev follows the prepared strategy from training camp, he will leave with a third consecutive defense of his belt.

“We have great respect for Dustin, but on June 1, he is our opponent,” Nurmagomedov said. “We have a clearly developed plan for the fight, and I believe Islam will follow it. I really hope that Islam will finish him off in the second or third round.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 302.

Ben Askren convinced Conor McGregor is jealous of Khabib Nurmagomedov: ‘No money can make up for that’

“Conor wishes that he had that much respect for himself, but he is too busy with prostitutes and cocaine that he just can’t control himself.”

[autotag]Ben Askren[/autotag] believes [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag]’s constant shots at [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] are fueled by jealousy.

McGregor and Nurmagomedov competed in the highest-selling pay-per-view event in UFC history when they squared off in a title fight at UFC 229. The build-up was ugly, but Nurmagomedov got the last laugh when he submitted McGregor to retain his lightweight belt. Nurmagomedov couldn’t contain himself after finishing McGregor as he immediately jumped the fence to attack his corner. A brawl ensued between the two teams, and the bad blood is very much alive from McGregor’s side.

McGregor accused Nurmagomedov of running from competition when he retired in October 2020 and has continuously insulted him – most recently after hearing the rumors of Nurmagomedov allegedly underpaying his businesses’ taxes.

“That’s typical rat behavior,” McGregor said in a livestream with Duelbits. “Scurrying rat. Fight for legacy, two main events or something he has in the UFC, and he owes his b*llocks to the Russian government.

“So, he’s going to pay his f*cking money that he owes instead of siphoning it out through to other countries. I’m ecstatic and delighted that that’s coming on top of him, and we will all welcome him back into the fight game where he’s ran from.”

Askren is not surprised to see McGregor go after Nurmagomedov and theorizes that “The Eagle” is everything he wishes he was.

“He’ll never not do that, ever,” Askren said of McGregor on his “Funky and the Champ” show with Daniel Cormier. “He’s going to be 80 years old attacking Khabib because he’s jealous, of course. No doubt in my mind at all. He’s got all the money in the world. Deep down in his heart, what he wanted to be was the most respected fighting champion on planet earth.

“No money can make up for that. That’s what Khabib is. Khabib is a fighting champion that everyone has a deep amount of respect for because of the way he lived his life. Conor wishes that he had that much respect for himself, but he is too busy with prostitutes and cocaine that he just can’t control himself. So, of course he’s jealous of Khabib.”

McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) returns from an almost three-year long layoff in a welterweight bout against Michael Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC) at UFC 303 June 29 in Las Vegas (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+).

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 303.

Islam Makhachev: Khabib Nurmagomedov happy, but misses fighting

Islam Makhachev says Khabib Nurmagomedov is still very entrenched in the fight game.

[autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] says [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] is still very entrenched in the fight game.

Nurmagomedov retired as an undefeated UFC lightweight champion and has since passed the torch onto Makhachev, who has lived up to the potential by becoming 155-pound champ himself.

Nurmagomedov insists he will never fight again, but Makhachev admits that Nurmagomedov still loves the game.

“I think he’s happy, but this guy misses fighting, fight camp,” Makhachev said on Shadow Lion’s “Pound 4 Pound” podcast with Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo. “That’s why he joins us everywhere. He loves to train – every day, he trains.

“Not just when he’s with us, everyday this guy’s training. He has a house in the village, a house in the city. Both houses have a sauna, very good gym, swimming pool. This guy is training everyday.”

Makhachev says Nurmagomedov currently weighs over 200 pounds, making him even harder to deal with as a training partner.

“It’s not a secret, Khabib has like the worst style for everybody,” Makhachev said. “If he takes you down, he takes all your energy, all your power because he’s very heavy on top.

“I don’t have the same skills because always when I’m on top, I’m looking for choke, to do something, but this guy has crazy control, he holds you. Now, he has crazy power because he’s big and he holds you and you say, ‘Hey, get out.'”

Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) defends his lightweight title against Dustin Poirier in the UFC 302 main event June 1. Makhachev’s mentor Nurmagomedov submitted Poirier in Round 3 of their title fight at UFC 242.

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For more on the cards, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 302.

Dustin Poirier explains how Islam Makhachev ‘more of a threat’ than Khabib Nurmagomedov

Heading into UFC 303, Dustin Poirier sees Islam Makhachev as a more refined version of Khabib Nurmagomedov in certain areas.

[autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] sees UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] as more refined than [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] in certain areas.

Poirier (30-8 MMA, 22-7 UFC) challenges Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) for the lightweight title in the UFC 302 headliner June 1 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

Poirier fell short in his pursuit of an undisputed belt when he was submitted by Nurmagomedov at UFC 242 in September 2019. Now he takes on Nurmagomedov’s protege, Makhachev, whom he thinks is even more dangerous.

“His submission game jiu-jitsu wise is a little bit more versatile than Khabib’s was,” Poirier said on “The MMA Hour.” “Khabib had some chokes that he did really well, but Islam’s put himself in bad positions going for armbars, maybe he loses a position, but he trusts his wrestling to get it back. He’s a little bit more of a threat jiu-jitsu wise in scrambles, and his striking is better than Khabib’s.”

Makhachev said he has the key for an easy fight against Poirier. “The Diamond” thinks Makhachev is undermining him.

“I kind of feel like some of the stuff he says, he might not be (respecting me),” Poirier said. “But I’m going to put my hands on this guy. I’m coming in there to hurt him. This is my last shot – mom’s spaghetti, let’s go. … I haven’t been keeping up a whole lot, but when I was at the gym, Mike Brown told me, ‘Man, I think this guy may be underestimating your jiu-jitsu and underestimating how dangerous you are.’

“I think what he was referring to was an interview of Islam saying, ‘This is an easy fight for me.’ I was tagged in a bunch of stuff on Instagram and Twitter of him saying that. I don’t know, maybe he goes about all fights like that, but I can finish and beat anybody at 155 pounds in the world. I really believe that, and he doesn’t have to believe it. I’m the one who has to believe it, and I’m the one who has to go out there and beat his ass. I can do that.”

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For more on the cards, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 302.

Georges St-Pierre reveals what his strategy would have been vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov

Georges St-Pierre vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov is the super fight we never got.

[autotag]Georges St-Pierre[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] is the super fight we never got.

Both fighters are adamant on staying retired which makes a fight highly unlikely. But that doesn’t mean former two-division UFC champion St-Pierre hasn’t envisioned how a fight with undefeated former lightweight champion Nurmagomedov would have gone.

St-Pierre (26-2 MMA, 20-2 UFC) broke down Nurmagomedov’s biggest strengths, and broke down how their approaches differ.

“Khabib has got a very good overhand right,” St-Pierre said on the “Pound 4 Pound” podcast. “He’s very good at measuring distance and creating a dilemma in the mind of his opponent between a takedown and an overhand right. He’s at his most dangerous when he puts you with your back against the fence because he’s a master at chain wrestling.

“My style is different. My style is more in the middle. I’m very good at using fakes and creating destruction to get in your legs. I’m more the dynamic guy. I call it proactive and reactive takedown from the center, but Khabib is better when he’s got his opponent’s back against the fence.”

As for how St-Pierre would have approached fellow UFC Hall of Famer Nurmagomedov (29-0 MMA, 13-0 UFC), the longtime welterweight champion says he would have been offensive with his wrestling, too.

“My strategy if I would have gone against Khabib would be to keep the fight as most as I can in the middle and not be afraid to take him down,” St-Pierre continued. “I would have maybe been the first guy that he fought or one of the only guys that would have tried to take him down, and I’ve put down everybody that I’ve fought.”

St-Pierre never looked at Nurmagomedov as a matchup he’d win 10/10 times, but is confident he did have the skills to hand him his first-career loss.

“I can say whatever I want but I think Khabib could have beat me,” St-Pierre said. “I’m not saying I would have beat Khabib all the time. I was confident enough to take that fight that I was thinking if I take that fight, I’m going to beat him that day, at that particular place.

“That doesn’t mean I’ll beat him all the time, but I was confident. “But, maybe I’m wrong. I think I would have beat him because in a way if he would have put pressure on me, I would have put him down. I would have been confident to try to go for it.”

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Javier Mendez disagrees with Daniel Cormier’s claim that Islam Makhachev more dangerous than Khabib Nurmagomedov

For Javier Mendez, Islam Makhachev is more skilled than Khabib Nurmagomedov but not more dangerous.

For [autotag]Javier Mendez[/autotag], [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] is more skilled than [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] but not more dangerous.

[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag], who also trained under Mendez at American Kickboxing Academy, said UFC lightweight champion Makhachev is even more dangerous than former champ Nurmagomedov was during his prime.

Mendez heavily disagrees.

“OK, he’s more skilled in multiple areas, yes,” Mendez told MMA Mania. “More dangerous? Nobody is more dangerous, in my opinion, in the world than Khabib. Nobody, no one, I don’t care. I haven’t seen one that is more dangerous than Khabib in the sense of danger. I mean, you can’t do nothing to him. It’s very difficult to do anything to him.”

Mendez raved about Nurmagomedov’s chin. “The Eagle” retired undefeated and never tasted his own blood in 29 professional fights. Mendez says only one fighter was able to briefly stun Nurmagomedov.

“Khabib is the most dangerous because, first of all, in my opinion and I’m being biased because I love him to death, he’s got the hardest chin I’ve ever seen on anybody,” Mendez continued. “He’s been hit. The only person who rocked him a little bit, a tiny bit, was Michael Johnson.

“Michael Johnson hit him with one hell of a shot and other than that, no one else has hit him with anything. Justin Gaethje’s hit him, but did nothing. He steamrolls everybody. I think ‘DC’ probably meant more skilled, yes that’s correct. But, more dangerous? I don’t think there’s ever been a man more dangerous than Khabib.”

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Khabib Nurmagomedov won’t hold his son back, but would rather he didn’t become a fighter

Khabib Nurmagomedov doesn’t want his son to follow in his footsteps.

SURREY, British Columbia – [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] doesn’t want his son to follow in his footsteps.

Nurmagomedov retired in October 2020 as an undefeated and undisputed UFC lightweight champion. He is arguably the most dominant fighter to ever step into the cage.

Despite his success as a fighter and a coach, Nurmagomedov prefers if his son pursued different avenues than combat sports. However, he understands that may be difficult as his son is starting to grow curious about MMA.

“I know for sure he’s going to train,” Nurmagomedov said Thursday during an appearance for Class A Events in Canada. “He will study, but about professional athlete, I don’t know honestly. He just asks me too much questions because when I retired, he was only three years old and he don’t understand nothing. A couple of weeks ago he asked me, ‘Father, can you fight like Islam Makhachev? I’m like, ‘Why you ask?’ (He said,) ‘Because he’s a very good fighter. I never seen you fight like him.’ I’m like, ‘OK, this is a very good question.’

“I told him four years ago, you were only two or three. He was a baby when I was fighting. He tried to ask me can I watch your fights, he’s just beginning to bother me. I don’t know how I’m going to deal with him, but personally, I don’t want him to become a professional athlete. But, if he choose, what we can do? I’m not going to hold him (back) or do something, but honestly, I don’t want. I just want him to become a normal human because professional athletes, they are not normal people.”

Nurmagomedov’s cousins have blazed their own successful paths in MMA. Umar Nurmagomedov, who’s fresh off a win over Bekzat Almakhan at UFC Fight Night 238, is a top 10 ranked bantamweight. Also undefeated, Usman Nurmagomedov is Bellator’s current lightweight champion.

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Rare video shows little Khabib Nurmagomedov and his cousins as kids having a laugh at breakfast

Khabib and his cousins look so innocent, you’d never think they went on to be forces in the cage.

Long before [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] became one of the greatest UFC champions of all time, before he was a dominant force, before he took down opponents and bludgeoned them with ground-and-pound, he was a kid.

It’s easy to forget that the fighters we watch go to battle inside the cage, at one point, they were just kids who enjoyed being kids.

That’s what makes this video of Khabib and his fellow fighter cousins – [autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] and [autotag]Abubakar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] – sitting around and having a laugh at the breakfast table while being filmed as children so fascinating to watch.

Check this out (via Instagram):

https://www.instagram.com/p/C3_M4lpSzg0/?igsh=cXg0bjlnd3RlNXV0

Family is so important to Khabib. It’s why he retired while still in his prime, making a promise to his mother that he would no longer fight after the untimely death of his father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.

Seeing this video of Khabib at a family gathering surrounded by cousins reaffirms that sentiment.

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