Khabib Nurmagomedov, Hasbulla react to Islam Makhachev vs. Charles Oliveira UFC 294 fight announcementÂ
UFC president Dana White recently announced that Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira will go head-to-head for a second time in a lightweight title fight at UFC 294. The highly anticipated rematch is set to go down on October 21 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
Makhachev and Oliveira previously competed against each other in a bout for the vacant lightweight championship at UFC 280 in October last year. The Dagestani fighter secured a second-round submission victory over the Brazilian to claim the lightweight throne.
After the rematch was made official, Islam Makhachev received many messages of encouragement. Most notably from his childhood friend and former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
'The Eagle' shared a message for Makhachev via his Instagram stories and wrote:
"93 days before the fight. Already a foot off the gas, relieve, only go ahead brother. @islam_makhachev." (Translated via Google Translate)
Popular influencer Hasbulla also expressed his excitement for the upcoming title fight. After Islam Makhachev posted an announcement on his Instagram, Hasbulla commented below:
"Abu Dhabi will be noisy! (Translated via Instagram translator)
Daniel Cormier on Islam Makhachev vs. Charles Oliveira
Daniel Cormier recently weighed in on the upcoming lightweight title fight between Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira.
In the aftermath of their first meeting at UFC 280, Oliveira claimed that he wasn't himself during the fight and decidedly called for a rematch. After his loss to Makhachev, the Brazilian redeemed himself with a stunning first-round knockout over Beneil Dariush at UFC 289 and cemented his position as the next title challenger.
CHARLES OLIVEIRA'S NOT GOING ANYWHERE!!
@CharlesDoBronxs stops Beneil Dariush in the first at #UFC289! pic.twitter.com/OWMWlddKWL
In a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Daniel Cormier weighed in on the second Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev fight. 'DC' explained why the Brazilian deserved another title shot and outlined the challenges he's have to overcome at Abu Dhabi. He said:
"The reality is, it is the fight [to make]... Someone wrote in the comments yesterday, 'You want to know the reason there's no one to fight Islam? Because Charles has cleaned out the entire division'... That's so true... That's why there's a short list of challengers for the champion because the guy that's No.1 has beaten them all... I think that speaks to the greatness of Charles 'Do Bronx' Oliveira."
He continued:
"The setting is set for a better fight. The setting is also set for a lot of memories for 'Do Bronx' that he has to conquer. Same hotel, same venue, same location, he's going to have to do a lot of mental preparation to fight this guy [Islam Makhachev] for the second time."
Watch the full video below: