Former U.S. President Donald Trump declared Khabib Nurmagomedov the “greatest fighter of all time” after meeting the former lightweight world champion at a recent UFC event.
Emanating from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey—just a hop, skip, and a jump away from NYC—UFC 302 delivered another entertaining night of fights capped off by Islam Makhachev’s third successful defense of the 155-pound crown, submitting division fan favorite Dustin Poirier in the fifth round of their entertaining scrap.
Throughout the evening, the winners would often hop the cage wall to shake the hand of, or take a picture with Trump who was sitting cageside with the promotion’s CEO Dana White.
However, it was Makhachev’s mentor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, who had the viral moment of the night when he shared a word with ’45,’ asking him to stop the war in Palestine. Trump confidently responded claiming that he would in fact “stop the war.”
Khabib: I know you will stop the war in Palestine.
Donald Trump: We will stop it. I will stop the war. pic.twitter.com/Ve7eshXF1B
— Globe Eye News (@GlobeEyeNews) June 2, 2024
Recently Trump took to social media to commend the accomplishments of Nurmagomedov, dubbing him the undisputed MMA GOAT in the process.
“Khabib Nurmagomedov, who retired after a RECORD of 29-0, never having lost even a single round, is probably the Greatest Fighter of All Time,” Trump wrote. “I met him at the UFC event on Saturday night in New Jersey. A really smart guy — Big things in the future for Khabib!”
🇺🇸🇷🇺 Donald Trump posts about meeting Khabib Nurmagomedov at #UFC302, and says hes "probably the greatest fighter of all time"
(via. Truth Social) #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/qYobQu2SAZ
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) June 6, 2024
Somebody should probably go check on Colby Covington.
Is Islam Makhachev Close to Eclipsing the Legacy of Khabib Nurmagomedov?
While many consider Khabib Nurmagomedov to be one of the greatest lightweights in the history of the sport, his protege is continuing to close in. After claiming the 155-pound title with a second-round submission victory over Charles Oliveira at UFC 280, Islam Makhachev earned back-to-back victories, including a highlight-reel head-kick KO, against former featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski.
Those wins put Makhachev at the top of the No. 1 pound-for-pound rankings—even if Dana White doesn’t agree.
Now having submitted Dustin Poirier in the UFC 302 headliner, Makhachev is on the verge of eclipsing what his mentor accomplished inside the Octagon.
All he needs is one more thing that Nurmagomedov never captured. Perhaps a second UFC belt?
Check out Islam Makhachev’s UFC 302 post-fight interview below:
