“Not let anyone feel abandoned” - Islam Makhachev claims Khabib Nurmagomedov won’t corner him at UFC 294 to prioritize ‘team equality’
This weekend will see Islam Makhachev attempt to defend his lightweight title for the second time when he fights in the headline bout of UFC 294.
Rather than facing former champ Charles Oliveira, Makhachev will instead be faced with a familiar foe – featherweight kingpin Alexander Volkanovski, whom he outpointed in February.
‘Alexander the Great’ has taken this rematch with Islam Makhachev on around ten days’ notice, and due to this, the Dagestani is the betting favorite in the fight.
However, one thing that Makhachev will not have on his side this time around is the support of his teammate, former lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov.
‘The Eagle’ will undoubtedly be behind Makhachev when it comes to fight time, but it was recently reported that he won’t actually be in his teammate’s corner for the bout.
For those wondering, though, the two friends have not fallen out. In a recent interview with the media, Islam Makhachev discussed this and, when asked, gave a simple explanation for the absence of Khabib this weekend.
“Here is my explanation: We have a very big team; what if Khabib is there for one of us? We’re all equal. No matter if somebody’s a champion and the other guy is still on his way up, we all support each other. If he is there for my fight, he will need to be there for every single one from our team to not let anyone feel abandoned. He has already said that he will not attend the fights and he will not corner anyone, and we all support him in this decision.”
UFC 294: Is Islam Makhachev a more accomplished fighter than Khabib Nurmagomedov?
If Islam Makhachev defeats Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 294 this weekend, he will have defended his lightweight title successfully for the second time.
One more successful title defense would allow him to match the title record of Khabib Nurmagomedov, but is Makhachev a more accomplished fighter than his mentor?
Right now, it’s a hard argument to make, particularly as ‘The Eagle’ dispatched numerous legends, including Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje, before retiring at 29-0 in 2020.
Interestingly, though, while both men have a similar grappling style, renowned coach Javier Mendez – who has worked with both men at the American Kickboxing Academy – stated last year that Makhachev’s striking is further ahead than Khabib’s ever was.
Watch Javier Mendez discuss this below.
Despite this, Mendez refrained from outright stating which man was the better fighter overall.