5 things we learned from Khabib Nurmagomedov's appearance on Mike Tyson's Hotboxin' podcast
The latest guest on the Hotboxin' with Mike Tyson podcast was former UFC lightweight champion and pound-for-pound great Khabib Nurmagomedov. Along with co-host and former multi-division UFC champion Henry Cejudo, the athletes talked about the fight business and other aspects of their lives.
The main focus of the episode was, of course, Khabib Nurmagomedov. 'The Eagle' spoke about the various junctures of his life, his father, his rivalry with Conor McGregor, and a potential return to the octagon.
In this article, we look at five things we learned from Khabib Nurmagomedov's appearance on Mike Tyson's Hotboxin' podcast.
Watch the full podcast below:
#5. How Khabib Nurmagomedov earned his UFC title fight
fter defeating Edson Barboza in 2017 and going 9-0 in the UFC, Khabib Nurmagomedov earned a shot at the vacant UFC lightweight title. However, his journey wasn't as smooth as he had imagined, as most of his opponents were unwilling to fight 'The Eagle'.
Khabib Nurmagomedov revealed how the UFC could not finalize a single opponent until the day of the official weigh-ins. Khabib explained what went down behind the scenes and how his manager Ali Abdelaziz worked with UFC president Dana White to get Al Iaquinta to take the fight at the last moment. Khabib said:
"Iaquinta, Pettis, Holloway, Felder and Tony Ferguson - nobody showed up, you know? I remember, when I made weight (for the vacant UFC lightweight title fight) and they (the UFC) didn't have an opponent.. Every five minutes, they offer me an opponent, 'Can you fight with him? Can you fight with him?' And I was like, I didn't sleep all night because I was making weight. And I (switched) off my phone and I tell Ali (Abdelaziz), 'Please don't ask me about an opponent. Just find me someone. I'm gonna go sleep. When I wake up, I'm gonna need opponent.' And I remember. When I woke up, I said 'Hey, who's my opponent and he (Ali Abdelaziz said, 'Iaquinta.'"
Khabib Nurmagomedov went on to defeat Al Iaquinta at UFC 223 via decision, becoming the new UFC lightweight champion. Six months later, he faced Conor McGregor inside the octagon and successfully defended his belt.