Tag: Khabib Nurmagomedov

Khabib Nurmagomedov: Merab Dvalishvili ‘Cannot Deal’ With Life As A UFC Champion

Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is planning to guide a prominent member of his team to title glory at the expense of a riled-up Merab Dvalishvili next month. Dvalishvili has his first defense of the bantamweight title in the calendar, coming four months on from his crowning against Sean O’Malley at the Sphere this […]

Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is planning to guide a prominent member of his team to title glory at the expense of a riled-up Merab Dvalishvili next month.

Dvalishvili has his first defense of the bantamweight title in the calendar, coming four months on from his crowning against Sean O’Malley at the Sphere this past September.

To cement his grip on the crown, the Georgian is tasked with pushing away a challenge from undefeated contender Umar Nurmagomedov, cousin of the legendary Khabib.

“The Machine” had been vocal in attempting to dismiss Nurmagomedov’s title claims, branding the Dagestani unworthy of the opportunity despite his five-round triumph over Cory Sandhagen last time out.

But with the UFC higher-ups seeing things differently, Dvalishvili will indeed put the gold on the line against the highly regarded 28-year-old at UFC 311 on Jan. 18. In the lead-up, the champ still isn’t keeping quiet about his frustration, and that threatened to boil over at the recent on-sale press conference in Las Vegas.

During an interview posted by Red Corner MMA on Instagram, Khabib assessed Dvalishvili’s ongoing fury about his cousin being granted a first championship opportunity, questioning whether the Georgian is cut out to occupy a throne on MMA’s biggest stage.

“I think when (Dvalishvili was) beginning his career, he was acting good. When he became champion, he cannot deal with this,” Khabib said. “Because life changing. Before champion and after champion, there is two (lives). You have to deal with this.

“About Umar (getting a) gift — I think Umar deserves (it). I don’t know why Merab (is) nervous,” Khabib continued. “Umar’s here not because he is my cousin. He’s here because he’s 18-0 and 6-0 in the UFC. Umar wants to create his legacy. January 18, he will show why Merab (is) nervous.”

Should Khabib and his team have their way in Los Angeles, Dvalishvili will return to life as a contender soon enough.

But “The Machine” is hell bent on proving his view of Nurmagomedov correct come fight night early next year by emphatically stalling the Russian’s title ambitions in their tracks.

“Scammers” – Colby Covington Goes Off On Khamzat Chimaev and Khabib Nurmagomedov

"Scammers" - Colby Covington Goes Off On Khamzat Chimaev and Khabib NurmagomedovColby Covington condemned Khamzat Chimaev’s involvement in a cryptocurrency scam that reportedly ripped off his fans to the tune…

"Scammers" - Colby Covington Goes Off On Khamzat Chimaev and Khabib Nurmagomedov

Colby Covington condemned Khamzat Chimaev’s involvement in a cryptocurrency scam that reportedly ripped off his fans to the tune of a million dollars.

Ahead of Chimaev’s return to the Octagon at UFC 308 in October, ‘Borz’ was embroiled in controversy after he had advertised a meme coin called SMASH, named after his popular “smash” or “smesh” catchphrase. Chimaev hyped the coin on his social media channels which prompted the value of the coin to grow exponentially. 24 hours later, the value plummeted to zero, leaving many fans feeling like they’d had the rug pulled out from under them.

image 6 1024x423 1

Shortly after, Chimaev’s manager Majdi Shammas took full responsibility, claiming that he had encouraged Chimaev to record the videos, but didn’t do enough research to ensure that the company they were working with was legit.

Colby Covington isn’t buying that excuse.

“Dude, he’s an absolute scumbag. The fact that he rug-pulled all his fans—that’s the most disgusting act I’ve ever seen in MMA. Him and Khabib, like, just absolute scammers,” Covington said during Wednesday’s UFC Tampa media day.

“Dude, you’re making good money with the UFC. Now you’re going to rug-pull and do a fake MCO and scam all your fans for millions of dollars? I mean, these are fans that are working their asses off every day at McDonald’s or other low-income-paying jobs. They’re investing in him because they trust the fighter and they like their fighter. And for him to just crap on all his fans like that? It’s disgusting. “I mean, that’s why he’s c*m-shot, you know? The guy’s literally just the worst person on Earth. It’s so sad that he did that to his fans.”

Colby Covington doesn’t think chimaev is ‘anything special’ inside the octagon

Covington also took aim at Chimaev’s skills inside the Octagon, suggesting that the unbeaten Chechen monster isn’t nearly as special as the UFC likes to suggest.

“As an MMA fighter, I don’t think he’s anything special. You know, I think he got exposed in that Gilbert Burns fight—that he doesn’t have good cardio,” Covington said. “I thought Usman beat him, you know, when they fought. If that would have been five rounds, Usman would have beat him for sure. But even in three rounds, I thought Usman beat him 2-1.

“So, I don’t see anything special out of CH. He needs to stop scamming his fans.”

gettyimages 2181229048 612x612 1

Following a lackluster showing against then-welterweight champion Leon Edwards around this same time last year, Covington is back to headline the UFC’s final event of 2024.

Heading to Tampa, Florida, ‘Chaos’ will square off with rising knockout artist Joaquin Buckley in a bout that could carry major title implications in the new year.

468149980 1129668701857569 170180601128909833 n 1

Teammate Says ‘Different Level’ Khabib Nurmagomedov Could Defeat Dricus Du Plessis At Middleweight

When Khabib Nurmagomedov announced that he would be retiring from MMA at UFC 254 in 2020, he did what very few athletes are able to do. “The Eagle” left the sport that he had dedicated his life to whilst being at the very top of the game. With an undefeated record of 29-0 and three […]

When Khabib Nurmagomedov announced that he would be retiring from MMA at UFC 254 in 2020, he did what very few athletes are able to do. “The Eagle” left the sport that he had dedicated his life to whilst being at the very top of the game.

With an undefeated record of 29-0 and three title defenses under his belt, Nurmagomedov stuck to the promise that he had made his mother following the tragic loss of his father and coach, Abdulmanap. Who knows how much longer the champion could’ve stayed at the top but his final performance inside the Octagon against Justin Gaethje proved that he was still the best lightweight in the world by some distance.

Since then, he has used his unbreakable mentality and elite experience to benefit the fighters around him by acting as a coach. His team recently had success at the 2024 PFL World Championships in Riyadh where Gadzhi Rabadanov brought even more lightweight gold to their trophy cabinet by stopping Brent Primus.

In an interview with Bloody Elbow, Rabadanov spoke about the former UFC lightweight king and how he continues to be incredibly dedicated even after hanging up the gloves for good.

“He trains like a professional fighter still, ever single day, he’s never going to stop. If he could he’d train while he’s flying or in the Arabian dessert.”

Though he is still constantly training alongside his teammates, Nurmagomedov has put on a fair bit of size since stepping away which isn’t necessarily surprising given that lightweight was a difficult weight cut for him at several points in his career. With that in mind, though he doesn’t think Khabib will ever come back, Rabadanov believes that he could be a champion again in whatever weight class he ends up in.

He believes that 185-pounds would probably be a better fit for “The Eagle” at this point in time but that doesn’t mean that Dricus Du Plessis would be able to stop from him getting his hands on UFC gold again if that’s what he really wanted.

“He’s not lightweight any more. I think maybe middleweight is good. 100 per cent [he could beat Dricus Du Plessis]. Khabib is different level.”

Arman Tsarukyan on the Pressure of Beating Islam Makhachev: It’s Beating Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Legacy

Arman Tsarukyan on the Pressure of Beating Islam Makhachev: It’s Beating Khabib Nurmagomedov’s LegacyBeating Islam Makhachev isn’t just about winning the UFC lightweight world title for Arman Tsarukyan. It’s about beating the…

Arman Tsarukyan on the Pressure of Beating Islam Makhachev: It’s Beating Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Legacy

Beating Islam Makhachev isn’t just about winning the UFC lightweight world title for Arman Tsarukyan. It’s about beating the legacy of Khabib Nurmagomedov.

After coming up short against the ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ in his promotional debut five years ago, Tsarukyan will get another crack at Makhachev when the two headline UFC 311 on Saturday, January 18 in Inglewood, California.

Islam Makhachev vs Arman Tsarukyan Poster 819x1024 1

It’s a fight that’s been a long time coming for Tsarukyan, and like any title opportunity, ‘Ahalkalakets’ is admittedly feeling some pressure. But it’s not just the typical pressure that comes with fighting a world champion. Instead, it feels like Tsarukyan will also be going up against the man who will be in Makhachev’s corner come fight night.

“It’s gonna give me more energy because it’s kind of like, if I beat Islam, it’s like beating Khabib’s team, you know,” Tsarukyan said on The Ariel Helwani Show. “I watched all Khabib’s fights. And, for me, he’s the GOAT in our division right now.”

Arman Tsarukyan and Islam Makhachev have won a combined 18 straight fights going into UFC 311

Since losing his UFC debut against Makhachev, Tsarukyan has gone 9-1 inside the Octagon with his most recent victories coming via a 64-second knockout of Beneil Dariush and a split-decision W over former lightweight titleholder Charles Oliveira at UFC 300.

gettyimages 2148561056 612x612 1

For Makhachev, it will be his fourth time defending the 155-pound crown. Initially, Nurmagomedov’s protege earned back-to-back wins over former featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski before landing a fifth-round submission victory against Dustin Poirier at UFC 302.

gettyimages 2155672474 612x612 1

Arman Tsarukyan on the Pressure of Beating Islam Makhachev: It’s Beating Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Legacy

Arman Tsarukyan on the Pressure of Beating Islam Makhachev: It’s Beating Khabib Nurmagomedov’s LegacyBeating Islam Makhachev isn’t just about winning the UFC lightweight world title for Arman Tsarukyan. It’s about beating the…

Arman Tsarukyan on the Pressure of Beating Islam Makhachev: It’s Beating Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Legacy

Beating Islam Makhachev isn’t just about winning the UFC lightweight world title for Arman Tsarukyan. It’s about beating the legacy of Khabib Nurmagomedov.

After coming up short against the ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ in his promotional debut five years ago, Tsarukyan will get another crack at Makhachev when the two headline UFC 311 on Saturday, January 18 in Inglewood, California.

Islam Makhachev vs Arman Tsarukyan Poster 819x1024 1

It’s a fight that’s been a long time coming for Tsarukyan, and like any title opportunity, ‘Ahalkalakets’ is admittedly feeling some pressure. But it’s not just the typical pressure that comes with fighting a world champion. Instead, it feels like Tsarukyan will also be going up against the man who will be in Makhachev’s corner come fight night.

“It’s gonna give me more energy because it’s kind of like, if I beat Islam, it’s like beating Khabib’s team, you know,” Tsarukyan said on The Ariel Helwani Show. “I watched all Khabib’s fights. And, for me, he’s the GOAT in our division right now.”

Arman Tsarukyan and Islam Makhachev have won a combined 18 straight fights going into UFC 311

Since losing his UFC debut against Makhachev, Tsarukyan has gone 9-1 inside the Octagon with his most recent victories coming via a 64-second knockout of Beneil Dariush and a split-decision W over former lightweight titleholder Charles Oliveira at UFC 300.

gettyimages 2148561056 612x612 1

For Makhachev, it will be his fourth time defending the 155-pound crown. Initially, Nurmagomedov’s protege earned back-to-back wins over former featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski before landing a fifth-round submission victory against Dustin Poirier at UFC 302.

gettyimages 2155672474 612x612 1

Khabib Nurmagomedov Calls For Movsar Evloev Title Shot After UFC 310

Legendary former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov wants to see his fellow countryman, top-five featherweight Movsar Evloev, as the next challenger for Ilia Topuria. Evloev made his latest appearance on the preliminary card of Saturday’s UFC 310 pay-per-view in Las Vegas, where his second outing of the year came against an ex-bantamweight titleholder in Aljamain […]

Legendary former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov wants to see his fellow countryman, top-five featherweight Movsar Evloev, as the next challenger for Ilia Topuria.

Evloev made his latest appearance on the preliminary card of Saturday’s UFC 310 pay-per-view in Las Vegas, where his second outing of the year came against an ex-bantamweight titleholder in Aljamain Sterling.

After his decision victory over Arnold Allen this past January wasn’t enough to impress the promotional higher-ups, the Russian had more work to do to place himself in a strong position heading into 2025.

And although “Funk Master” gave him a run for his money, Evloev ultimately did just that by earning the nod on all three scorecards following three rounds of entertaining grappling action at T-Mobile Arena.

Evloev had a ‘what will be, will be’ attitude when asked about whether he’s done enough for a title shot by Joe Rogan post-fight. But there’s little doubt about the merit of the #5-ranked contender’s claim in the eyes of another undefeated Russian…

“19:0 in MMA and 9:0 in UFC,” Khabib wrote. “I think @MovsarUFC deserves title shot.”

Evloev’s performance on Saturday night maintained his undefeated record in the Octagon, but he is still searching for his first finish under the UFC banner.

Whether or not that fact will dent his push for the gold remains to be seen, but Evloev appears to have gained considerable support for his hopes to battle Topuria in 2025 after a hard-fought triumph over Sterling in “Sin City.”