After crowning a lightweight champion at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi, the fans will soon see Islam Makhachev exchanging blows in Perth. The Russian fighter will face another UFC champion- Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284 on Feb 12, 2023. Significantly, as indicated by Khabib Nurmagomedov, he will be a fighting champion who will not shy away from fighting in different cities.

In an interview with EPSN, Khabib described his nerves in the corner during the fight. Additionally, he also gave his thoughts on the upcoming fight against ‘The Great’. Further, he described his own experience of winning the title in Brooklyn.

While talking in the same segment, ‘The Eagle’ revealed that Islam will gain recognition as a fighting champion. He alluded to this with Mohammad Ali’s incredible feat of accepting the fight anywhere. AKA team representative, however, also clarified that UFC pushed for Islam’s title fight in Abu Dhabi. Meanwhile, the perfect 29-0 record holder mentioned that they would have accepted the fight in Rio as well.

What did Khabib reveal about Islam’s upcoming fights?

In a post-fight interview with ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, Khabib mentioned the next likely location for Makhachev‘s title defense. Thus, he said, “What next? Perth, Sydney, whatever, Rio de Janeiro. We need locations. Probably we need Manila. Let’s go.”

While continuing further, he alluded to Muhammad Ali’s popular “Rumble in the Jungle” fight in Congo and recalled how he flew to the Philippines.

Thus, he referred, “You know, people remember how Muhammad will fight in Congo. You remember, they remember how he fly to Filipino. He fighted, like, okay, let’s go. Let’s go to fight in Manila.”

Ali’s “Rumble in the Jungle” is often called “arguably the greatest sporting event of the 20th century”. Ali entered the fight as an underdog against the undefeated heavyweight champion, George Foreman. However, due to his rope-a-dope tactic, Ali claimed a major upset on October 30, 1974, at the 20th of May Stadium.

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Another monumental fight of Ali’s career, ‘Thrilla in Manila’ took place between him and Joe Frazier. The trilogy fight ended with Ali earning a victory on October 1, 1975, at the Araneta Coliseum.

Lastly, ‘The Eagle‘ concluded, “Bring someone, maybe a couple guys because, because Islam is ready for anybody.”

What do you think of these comments by Khabib Nurmagomedov? Do you think that Islam Makhachev will be able to defend his title at Perth? Let us know in the comments below.

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