Islam Makhachev may be one of the most dominant fighters in the UFC, but even the welterweight champion has to answer to Khabib Nurmagomedov whenever he does something the UFC great doesn’t approve of. That became evident after Makhachev appeared to dismiss Ian Garry during the UFC 330 pre-fight press conference.

During the presser, Ian Machado Garry showed considerable respect toward Makhachev while discussing the champion’s late mentor, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov. After a reporter asked Makhachev how Abdulmanap would feel if he could see everything his student has accomplished, Garry interrupted before Makhachev could answer. “He’d be proud,” Garry said. However, the UFC champion responded bluntly, telling the Irishman to “shut up.” While the exchange appeared to be nothing more than pre-fight banter, Makhachev’s mentor wasn’t particularly impressed. Following the presser, a viral clip showed Khabib confronting the champion over his response to Garry.

“Ian Garry was talking very nicely about him,” Khabib told Islam in the clip. “He said, ‘Shut up.'”

Seeing Khabib’s reaction, Makhachev immediately clarified that he hadn’t understood Garry was actually praising him during the press conference. But that explanation wasn’t enough to satisfy ‘The Eagle,’ who wasn’t ready to let his teammate off the hook so easily. In fact, the former lightweight champion joked that the money spent on Makhachev’s English lessons was almost going to waste.

“I pay for these guys English teachers… one year. They don’t learn nothing,” Khabib scolded. “He say, ‘Shut up’. Be nice, brother. Sometimes, maybe you don’t like somebody, but when somebody give you respect, at least be quiet. Don’t say ‘shut up.’ You wanna say it’s not good when someone interrupts you? Tell him, [don’t] interrupt.”

Khabib has long encouraged fighters from his region to learn English, believing that fluency in the language is important for fighters who want to expand their popularity internationally. In a 2021 interview, the former UFC lightweight champion firmly stated that fighters need to learn the language to achieve greater popularity because most people understand it. So, it’s hardly surprising to see that he was a little frustrated with his teammate for failing to catch the praise he received during the UFC 330 presser. However, that’s not the first time ‘The Eagle’ has shown a little lighthearted strictness. 

The former lightweight champion is actually notorious for being incredibly strict with his teammates. He once scolded Umar Nurmagomedov for reading Sicilian Mafia novels, which he believed had little use for his fighting career. On another occasion, he even broke Abubakar Nurmagomedov’s computer after becoming frustrated with him for playing games too much instead of focusing on his training. 

But this appears to be the first time Khabib has criticized one of his teammates for badly fumbling during a press conference.

However, Khabib and Islam’s banter didn’t stop there. The welterweight champion also ended up trolling his mentor over his English, particularly after Khabib hilariously mistook Philadelphia’s most famous dish.

Islam Makhachev trolls Khabib Nurmagomedov

Khabib Nurmagomedov could be the one Islam Makhachev looks up to when it comes to legacy. But the two have also forged a close bond of friendship after training together since the early days of their martial arts journeys. For that reason, the two-division champion can occasionally engage in some lighthearted back-and-forth banter with his mentor. So, after getting trolled over his English, Makhachev quickly found an opportunity to get one back.

During the UFC 330 camp, Khabib confidently misspelled Philadelphia’s local delicacy, Philly cheesesteak, as “Philly cheesecake,” joking that Makhachev couldn’t have it while cutting weight. So, while the Dagestani legend was trolling his teammate for failing to understand Garry’s praise, Makhachev reminded Khabib of his own English blunder, firing back at his mentor with a joke of his own.

“California cheesecake,” Islam said.

Khabib, probably realizing that he had lost a round of banter against Islam, simply accepted defeat.

“Okay… okay… 1-1,” Khabib responded.

With that, the MMA world witnessed a genuinely funny and lighthearted exchange between two of the biggest stars in the sport. More importantly, the playful banter offered another glimpse into just how close Khabib and Islam have become after years of training and fighting together. Now, the fun and games are almost over, as the headliner showdown is just around the corner.