Chat With Khabib Nurmagomedov After Unbeaten 12 Fights, Islam Makhachev: He's Mine
JAKARTA - Islam Makhachev received FaceTime calls from his former coach and mentor, Khabib Nurmagomedov. The emotional conversation came after Makhachev defeated Alexander Volkanosvki at UFC 284.
The Dagestan fighter survived a knockout in the fifth round to defend his title and become the king of pound-for-pound sports at Perth, Australia, Sunday, February 12.
Makhachev was filled with emotion after extending his record to 12 consecutive wins, but especially when Nurmagomedov contacted him backstage.
The two spoke in Russian on FaceTime, but Nurmagomedov sounded saying " pound-for-pound king" in English.
Makhachev then revealed the details of their conversation in a post-fight press conference.
"He was very nervous. And he said, 'Hey, why don't you do this, this and this?' And I said, 'Hey, if you come to [Perth] and are in my corner, I can do this.' 'But you didn't come.'" Makhachev said, as quoted by The Sun.
Nurmagomedov did not accompany his former student after deciding to retire from the MMA world. He chose to spend more time with his family.
However, Nurmagomedov did not forget to pay tribute to Makhachev on Instagram. He wrote, "Only for the best. Defend him in the tough and competitive fight against the best active fighter on the planet."
"There's always something to do. But this story will last a long time in this sport," continued Nurmagomedov.