Khabib Nurmagomedov might not be in Islam Makhachev’s corner this weekend, but he’ll be watching from afar.
The former UFC Lightweight Champion has certainly left his mark on the sport, retiring on top after three straight title defenses over Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje.
‘When He’s Standing In Front Of You, It Doesn’t Matter’
Since Khabib rode off into the sunset, his teammate Makhachev has been crowned as the new king of the division after submitting then-champion Charles Oliveira last year. The Dagestani prodigy will put his belt on the line at UFC 294 when he meets featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski for the second time this year.
“Same opponent, it’s hard to get motivated. But, when he’s standing in front of you, it doesn’t matter,” Nurmagomedov said of Makhachev’s next fight in an interview. “Right now, there’s no other contender in the lightweight division. There was Beneil Dariush but Oliveira took care of him. Is it fair to give Charles a second chance? It’s a question to ponder.”
The Original Plan
Of course, Makhachev was supposed to face Charles Oliveira at UFC 294. But, ‘Do Bronx’ dropped out due to an injury, leaving the current champion to take on another former foe in Volkanovski. Volkanovski has bounced back from his previous loss to Makhachev with a master-class victory over interim champ Yair Rodriguez in July.
BMF title-holder Justin Gaethje was apparently in the conversation for a title shot as well.
“It could have been the winner of the Poirier-Gaethje fight, but they would have torn each other apart and wouldn’t be able to recover. So, the UFC organized this fight for Islam and Charles to face the winner of the Poirier-Gaethje fight.
“With Volkanovski, it would have been interesting to have one more fight [before rematching Makhachev].”
Khabib On Makhachev Fighting Volkanovski The First Time
Alexander ‘The Great’ has the chance to shake up the lightweight division with a potential title win on Saturday, something he fell just short of in February when he fought Makhachev in Australia.
‘Coach Khabib’ admits the razor-close first encounter between Makhachev and Volkanovski was ‘difficult’ for him to watch, especially from the other side of the world. He’ll have to go through that again with watching UFC 294, however Khabib believes this time will be a bit different for his teammate.
“Yes, it was the most challenging fight [to watch],” Khabib said of Makhachev vs. Volkanovski 1. “Because for me, it was emotionally difficult. It was far from home. The recovery time was 11 hours less than in Abu Dhabi.
“When you have 11 hours, you can sleep, eat, get some rest. I understood all of this. It’s not visible to viewers like you, but I understood it. I knew that after the weigh-ins, they would step into the cage in 28 hours, whereas in the UAE, they stepped in after 39 hours. Plus the time zone difference.”
“These aren’t excuses, these are just factors that made me anxious,” Nurmagomedov added. “I was very anxious. It was the first time I wasn’t there in person.”
Khabib Nurmagomedov will be watching UFC 294, will you?
