Khabib Nurmagomedov has joined the list of people who believe Petr Yan should have won the judges’ decision against Sean O’Malley at UFC 280.
O’Malley put up a fight against Yan and emerged with the biggest win of his career. Although ‘Sugar’ earned respect from the MMA community, most fans and analysts thought ‘No Mercy’ should have been awarded the decision.
While waiting to corner Islam Makhachev, Nurmagomedov was backstage, where his reaction to the O’Malley vs. Yan decision was recorded live. ‘The Eagle’ had this to say:
“Split? How? How? No, how? How is it possible, brother? I swear I gave him every round. It was close, but he won every round.”
‘No Mercy’ has now lost back-to-back fights via split decision. He’s almost out of the title shot discussion. Meanwhile, ‘Sugar’ is being mentioned for the next bantamweight title fight with the former champion’s name on his resume.
Watch Khabib Nurmagomedov’s live reaction to Petr Yan losing below:
Khabib Nurmagomedov believes MMA has declined in popularity despite the UFC having a ‘PR machine’ that will keep them going
Khabib Nurmagomedov has experience coaching, fighting, and promoting at the highest level of MMA. If anyone knows about the MMA business, it’s ‘The Eagle’. During an interview with UFC Russia, the former lightweight champion opened up about MMA’s decrease in popularity:
“Maybe it’s because the flame inside me went out, but I think there’s been a dip in MMA. Everyone has their viewpoint. I think the flame went out a little, that there was a decline. There will always be stars. UFC’s PR machine is strong. Say what you will, but they created a powerful machine in the last 30 years. They will ignite the flame, but I don’t wake up early to watch fights anymore.”
Nurmagomedov has retired from MMA, but his involvement in the sport has not ended. Now that Islam Makhachev is the UFC lightweight champion, ‘The Eagle’ will frequently be in the UFC spotlight. If his claims are valid, the former champion’s presence won’t hurt when it comes to popularizing MMA.