"They're playing mental warfare" - Anatomy of a Fighter creator Will Harris tells Joe Rogan motive behind Khabib Nurmagomedov's tweets about Charles Oliveira
Filmmaker Will Harris believes that Khabib Nurmagomedov's recent tweets about Charles Oliveira are an attempt to get into the Brazilian's head.
Harris recently appeared on UFC commentator Joe Rogan's podcast The Joe Rogan Experience (JRE). During his time there, the 'Anatomy of a Fighter' creator discussed various MMA-related topics, including Jon Jones' possible return and the aftermath of Kamaru Usman vs. Leon Edwards at UFC 278.
At one point, Harris discussed 'The Eagle's recent jibe at Oliveira, claiming that the Brazilian will either not make weight or not show up for his fight against Islam Makhachev at UFC 280.
Nurmagomedov added that Beneil Dariush will instead step in as a replacement in the main event.
I just think Charles Oliveira will not show up in Abu Dhabi and the UFC will replace Charles with Beneil Dariush.
Regardless of who the opponent will be, @MAKHACHEVMMA is on his way to becoming the best in the world #ufc280
According to the filmmaker, Nurmagomedov was engaging in mental warfare with 'do Bronx'.
"Khabib Nurmagomedov [is] playing warfare and the fans are getting mad. 'I don't know if he's [Charles Oliveira] gonna show up to the fight.' That's warfare. They're playing mental warfare, right? That's what I believe."
Watch the clip from the podcast below:
Will Harris has a popular YouTube series called 'Anatomy of a Fighter'. Over time, he has documented several UFC fighters, including Kamaru Usman, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Gilbert Burns and Sean O'Malley.
Michael Bisping weighs in on Khabib Nurmagomedov's tweet against Charles Oliveira
In a recent episode of the Believe You Me podcast, former UFC champion Michael Bisping reacted to Khabib Nurmagomedov's statement that Charles Oliveira might be a no-show for UFC 280.
Bisping said that Nurmagomedov was in no position to comment as 'The Eagle' himself had missed weight in the UFC:
"I mean look, Khabib's gonna go out there and defend his boy. Of course. Islam is a protege of his and he's coaching him and he's taken him under his wing and he's mentoring him. And Khabib's gonna say what Khabib says. However, Khabib's a legend so that's why I'm hesitating and he's potentially the GOAT. Nothing but the highest respect, [but] Khabib did miss weight a few times as well. I mean I love Khabib, I'm not talking s***, I'm a huge fan. But, but, you can't really say too much."
Watch the full episode of the podcast below:
Charles Oliveira has missed weight a total of five times in the UFC. However, four of those misses came during the Brazilian's stint in the featherweight division. Oliveira's current run as a lightweight has been dominant as 'do Bronx' has been running through his competition and as a result, has built an incredible 11-fight win streak.
Most recently, at UFC 274, the 32-year-old missed weight for the first time as a lightweight. While there seemed to be an issue with the weighing scale at the event in Phoenix, people will be watching the UFC 280 weigh-ins with a keen interest to see whether Oliveira will be able to make the weight limit or not.