Midnight Mania: Khabib Reacts To UFC 311 Double Duty

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UFC 311 will be a family affair for the Nurmagomedov clan.

Though patriarch Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov sadly died in 2020, Father’s Plan is still going strong. The Dagestani fight team is now led by retired Lightweight kingpin, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and its athletes are still winning far more often than not at the elite level. Take a look at the global 155-pound division, for example, in which members of the Nurmagomedov fight team currently hold the UFC, Bellator, and PFL titles.

That’s dominance.

All that success is keeping the retired Khabib busy, however. At UFC 311, his longtime training partner and close friend, Islam Makhachev, will defend his Lightweight belt versus Arman Tsarukyan. Just one fight earlier, Khabib’s cousin Umar Nurmagomedov will receive his Bantamweight title shot opposite Merab Dvalishvili, meaning Khabib is pulling double duty in supporting two fight camps and likely cornering both athletes back-to-back.

Khabib reacted to the fight announcement via his Instagram story. “Two title fights at once,” he wrote (translated via Champ RDS). “I think it’s never happened before, or hasn’t happened until now. What a night is waiting for me, I hope I’ll survive.”

Khabib has spoken about the stress of cornering his family (literal or figurative) at the highest level. It wasn’t that long ago that Nurmagomedov revealed his intent to walk away from MMA entirely, but “The Eagle” was quickly pulled back into the fold. Since then, he’s back in the corner often, trying to advise his athletes towards victory.

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