"My biggest regret" - When Khabib Nurmagomedov's father revealed how Islam Makhachev ignored his advice only to suffer sole MMA loss of career
Khabib Nurmagomedov's father once revealed how Islam Makhachev ignored his advice and ended up suffering his sole MMA loss.
Makhachev, a student of the late Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, is the current UFC lightweight champion. Boasting a record of 25-1, his only MMA loss came at the hands of Adriano Martins. The two locked horns in 2015, and the Dagestani suffered a first-round knockout loss.
As revealed by Nurmagomedov, Makhachev seemingly ignored his advice in the fight. The father of 'The Eagle' suggested that he had advised the Dagestani not to enter striking exchanges against Martins.
"In my work, I think my biggest regret is that I agreed with Javier Mendez about exchanging punches in Islam fight. Islam came up to me and said, 'I'll exchange punches.' I said, 'You can give the 1st round as a last resort but don't go in exchange, he is very dangerous in the 1st round.' To which Javier said, 'Islam, is ready, let him do it.'"
Catch Khabib Nurmagomedov's father's comments below (2:43):
Khabib Nurmagomedov was given multi-million dollar gifts by Vladimir Putin following UFC 229 victory
Khabib Nurmagomedov had a tremendously successful MMA career. While he had some great fights during his career, one that stands out is his bout against Conor McGregor.
In the build-up to their bout, the two were engaged in a fierce competitive rivalry that made things personal. Moreover, it created one of the biggest prizefighting events in combat sports history.
At UFC 229, Nurmagomedov had the last laugh as he secured a fourth-round submission victory. While a rather ugly brawl broke out following the fight, 'The Eagle' was presented with several expensive gifts by the Russian President.
As revealed by Dana White during a recent appearance on the Games with Names podcast, Putin gave Nurmagomedov and his father properties, cars, and more.
“Khabib didn’t even make it back to his dressing room after the fight, and Putin was on the phone. Putin gave him and his father, like, $20 million worth of property in Russia. Then he went into the Muslim territories where these guys live. And gave them like cars, money, gyms, whatever he wanted.”
Listen to White’s comments here (35:40).