Khabib refuses to favor one fighter above another, meaning he won’t be at UFC 294 to cheer on his 155-pound protege.
Khabib Nurmagomedov may have been by Islam Makhachev’s side for the last two weeks of his UFC 294 training camp. But, “The Eagle” reportedly won’t be landing in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, to watch his protege rematch Alexander Volkanovski inside Etihad Arena this weekend (Sat., Oct. 21, 2023).
Makhachev has made it clear in the past: no, Khabib won’t be cornering him on “Fight Island.” Now, he’s saying Khabib won’t even be around to watch the fight in person. Why? Well, you could say it’s a bit of a political situation … like a father not picking favorites among his children.
Why Khabib is not there for Islam… #UFC294 pic.twitter.com/ojuIMmcgZb
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) October 18, 2023
“Here is my explanation: We have a very big team,” Makhachev said. “What if Khabib is there for one of us? We’re all equal. No matter if somebody’s a champion and the other guy is still on his way up, we all support each other. If he is there for my fight, he will need to be there for every single one from our team to not let anyone feel abandoned.
“He has already said that he will not attend the fights and he will not corner anyone,” Islam reminded us. “And we all support him in this decision.”
Khabib retired from competition in Oct. 2020, but then spent the proceeding two years coaching and cornering everyone on his team. It was great for the team: fighters coached by Khabib went 19-2 under his watchful eye. But, not so great for his family life. There was always another fight to go to … another camp to participate in.
At the start of 2023, statements came out saying that Khabib was walking away from the world of mixed martial arts (MMA) completely (more details here). No more camps, no more cornering. And he’s stuck to that … right up until this camp with Makhachev for UFC 294.
Will he stick to his word and stay away from Abu Dhabi on fight night? We kind of hope he doesn’t. but knowing how Nurmagomedov rolls, it wouldn’t be surprising if he no-shows.
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 294 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. ET, before the pay-per-view (PPV) main card start time at 10 p.m. ET (also on ESPN+).
To check out the latest and greatest UFC 294: “Makhachev vs. Volkanovski 2” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.