Khabib Nurmagomedov congratulated Islam Makhachev on successfully defending his lightweight title this past weekend at UFC 284.
Makhachev (24-1) scored a unanimous decision win over No.1 pound-for-pound fighter and UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski. It was the toughest test in his career. It was a close five-round contest and Makhachev did enough to get his hand raised. Now, the Russia native will become the new No.1 ranked fighter in the UFC.
Khabib Nurmagomedov Reacts to Islam Makhachev’s Big Win
Nurmagomedov took to social media to congratulate his long-time teammate.
“Simply the best. Proved it in a hard competitive fight against the best active fighter on the planet. There is always something to work on. But this story will remain for a long time in this sport. Just have a flashback on your memory of who topped the best regardless of weight category from Eurasia in the history of MMA, there were only a couple of fighters and Islam was already on that list. You are already history brother.” (translation via Instagram)
“The Eagle” was not in attendance for Makhachev’s recent win in Perth, Australia. Last month, he retired from coaching to spend time with his family. Nonetheless, he still sends advice and well wishes to his long-time American Kickboxing Academy teammate.
Makhachev successfully defended the lightweight title for the first time at UFC 284. He first captured UFC gold last October when he submitted former champion Charles Oliveira at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi. He’s on a 12-fight unbeaten streak.