For MMA fans, Khabib “the Eagle” Nurmagomedov has been an emotional experience. The UFC Hall of Famer holds a solid record of 29 wins out of 29 MMA appearances, with 8 knockout victories. This Russian legend left the UFC in 2021 and gave up the UFC lightweight title because Khabib couldn’t keep going after his father died.
At the moment, the longest reigning UFC Lightweight champion is focusing on his coaching career to produce some quality mixed martial artists, Islam Makhachev is one of Eagles’ brightest students. In the upcoming week, Islam is set to face Brazilian sensation Charles Oliveira for the vacant UFC lightweight title in the main event of UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Who leaves Abu Dhabi as lightweight champion – @CharlesDoBronxs or @MakhachevMMA? 🏆
[ #UFC280 Countdown airs October 16th at 9pm ET on ESPN 2 đź“ş ] pic.twitter.com/RSNsK3eCHa
— UFC (@ufc) October 10, 2022
In a recent interview, while choosing the favorite for the bouts, Khabib took his student’s side. The former champion believes that his student is currently at his peak and has more skills and experience than the Brazilian.
“I think Islam is more skilled than Oliveira. Secondly, his experience as an amateur fighter. Also, he’s at his peak. Islam is at his peak. Islam isn’t 23, 26, or 27. He’s 30. A week after the fight, he’ll be 31. It’s the best time for any athlete. It’s a time when your mental and physical state should be in synergy. Sometimes your mental state is high, but your physical state is going down.”
The 34-year-old also stated that he is working on identifying the shortcomings in Islam’s fighting style and that if they can overcome those obstacles together, Islam will have a comfortable victory at UFC 280.
“Of course, there are some potential dangers that we’re working on where Islam needs to be careful. Other than that, Islam should roll over him.”
Charles Oliveira, on the other hand, has been in terrific form recently, with a 12-winning streak. In his last appearance, Do Bronx dominantly defeated Justin Gaethje, but the Brazilian missed the weight that resulted in the vacancy of the UFC lightweight title. Besides, Alexander Volkanovski is the backup fighter for this title bout and the mandatory challenger for the UFC Lightweight title.
