"Grab him too" - Tagir Ulanbekov reveals hilariously blunt message from Khabib Nurmagomedov during glove grab chaos in Tim Elliott fight
Khabib Nurmagomedov delivered one of the most hilariously blunt corner moments in UFC history at UFC 272. His teammate Tagir Ulanbekov’s gritty flyweight bout against Tim Elliott at UFC 272 featured a controversial glove grab.
Ulanbekov claimed Elliott hooked his fingers inside the glove and punched while he was trapped. Frustrated and unable to escape, he turned to his corner for help. However, Nurmagoemdov advised him to return fire.
Speaking in a recent interview with Red Corner MMA, Ulanbekov said:
"Tim just put his fingers in my gloves and I couldn't pull it back. I was trying to get it out and he was punching me. I couldn't take him down. I was shouting to Khabib, 'Hey, he's grabbing my glove!' and he shouted back at me, 'Grab him too, grab his glove and punch him back.'"
Check out Tagir Ulanbekov's comments below:
During the bout, Elliott surprised Ulanbekov early with takedowns and offbeat pressure. A looping left hand dropped the Russian late in the first, and Elliott rode that momentum through the first two rounds. Despite warnings from the referee for his extended fingers, no points were taken.
Ulanbekov had his best moment in the final round, taking Elliott’s back and fishing for a choke. However, the judges scored it unanimously for Elliott, 29-28 across the board, handing Ulanbekov his first UFC loss.
Khabib Nurmagomedov names Arman Tsarukyan as the worthy challenger for Islam Makhachev's lightweight throne
Khabib Nurmagomedov believes Arman Tsarukyan is the toughest challenge for Islam Makhachev’s next lightweight title defense. While names like Ilia Topuria and Paddy Pimblett are generating buzz, Nurmagomedov points to Tsarukyan as the more competitive matchup.
Tsarukyan gave Makhachev a tough test in their 2019 fight, and since then, he’s surged up the rankings with dominant performances. Meanwhile, Makhachev remains unbeaten since 2015 and recently submitted Renato Moicano at UFC 311.
Speaking about Tsarukyan in an interview with Adam Zubayraev, Nurmagomedov said:
“My personal opinion, not necessarily [more] dangerous, let’s say more competitive, I think it’s [Arman] Tsarukyan. I think Arman is a more serious fighter than Topuria. Topuria is a good fighter at 145, but we haven’t seen him at 155. I believe Arman is more competitive for Islam than Topuria."
He added:
“I don’t know what kind of agreements Topuria and the UFC had, but from Islam’s side, he already gave two title shots to 145 champion. Both times Islam won."
Check out Khabib Nurmagomedov's comments below (2:30):