Khabib Nurmagomedov poses with his full team ahead of Islam Makhachev’s title defense at UFC 302.
Khabib Nurmagomedov is absolutely hyped for the upcoming mega clash between Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier. The legendary lightweight has returned to the limelight after a brief break from MMA coaching. This time, Nurmagomedov has Makhachev’s back ahead of that lightweight title defense.
Khabib Nurmagomedov recently posed with his full entourage. Various big names were in the picture including Islam Makhachev, Javier Mendez, Belal Muhammad, Usman Nurmagomedov etc. The UFC Hall of Famer shared the picture on his Instagram account and in the caption he wrote;
Just landed 14 days before the @islam_makhachev fight – Khabib Nurmagomedov via Instagram
The stage is set for the much anticipated lightweight title clash between Makhachev and Dustin Poirier at UFC 302. Going into the fight, Poirier is well aware that it might be his last run. On the other hand, the Dagestani is extremely confident about his skills and plans to get a quick finish on the challenger.
Makhachev must have seen Poirier closely when the ‘Diamond’ fought Khabib Nurmagomedov for the title. It was Poirier’s first ever title fight which he lost via submission. However, things have changed and it would be interesting to see if the Poirier can turn the tables on the Dagestanis.
Islam Makhachev talks about meeting Khabib Nurmagomedov as a kid
Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev grew up in the same village of Dagestan. Like most kids in their area, they started training in combat sports very early in their lives. During a recent interview, Makhachev went into detail about how he met the ‘Eagle’.
During the conversation, Makhachev talked about meeting Nurmagomedov through his school. According to the pound-for-pound king, he then started training with Nurmagomedov and his father. Here’s what Makhachev said:
When I was young, I began with judo. I lived very close to the same area as Khabib. We went to the same school, and I saw him almost every day at school. I knew Khabib trained with his father in another gym, so I tried to find where they were training
After Nurmagomedov’s retirement back in 2020, Makhachev carried the Dagestani legacy by becoming the champion. Ahead of his next title defense, the fighter would like to extend his lightweight championship reign further.