UFC 280 turned out to be a monumental event for the Dagestani fighters. While Islam Makhachev fought for the lightweight title in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 22, Khabib Nurmagomedov was also present in his corner. The former UFC champion helped and coached his brother to prepare for the title fight. As a result, the lightweight title once again returned to Dagestan.

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 Alexander Volkanovski in Perth.

Khabib’s Abu Dhabi connection and his dream coming true in Brooklyn

Life came to a complete circle for ‘The Eagle‘ when he put the lightweight title on Islam’s waist. Interestingly, Abu Dhabi was the place where the Russian last held the championship belt before announcing his sudden retirement in 2020.

ESPN’s Brett Okamoto quizzed the perfect record holder in a post-fight interview. He asked Khabib, “Because it was Father’s plan. Does this night almost mean more to you than the night in Brooklyn? When you won the belt?”

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Khabib replied, “Brooklyn was amazing too. You know, it’s crazy, but Brooklyn was amazing. For me, is like this, this is like… I think, same like Brooklyn. Because in Brooklyn my dream become true. You know, in Brooklyn four and a half years ago and now it’s like my brother became Champion, who’s like same feeling, you know.”

AKA team representative won his lightweight division title in Brooklyn when he defeated Al Iaquinta at UFC 223 in 2018.

Best MMA career moments of Khabib

Conor McGregor, along with his teammates, attacked the Khabib’s bus at Barclays Center in 2018. The bus was carrying other prominent UFC stars like Michael Chiesa, Rose Namajunas, and Al Iaquinta. However, the ‘Eagle’ didn’t have to wait long for a reprisal. Subsequently, he defeated the ‘Irishman’ with a neck crank submission at UFC 229.

However, the path of his first title shot was ridden with chaos. While he was set to claim the vacant lightweight title at UFC 223, his opponent changed time after time. He was scheduled to fight Tony Ferguson, who missed the fight because of a knee injury. His replacement, Max Holloway, also withdrew due to weight-cutting issues. Eventually, Al Iaquinta faced the Russian fighter for the title bout.

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Afterward, the 29-0 record holder became the first fighter from Dagestan to win the UFC title and now his brother has followed the suit.

Another characteristic of his MMA style has been the impact of Sambo wrestling. Under the tutelage of his father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, Khabib became two times world sambo champion and effectively employed the same style in his MMA career.

AKA Head Coach Javier Méndez once revealed that “father’s plan” meant focusing on grappling instead of taking the fight on the feet.

What do you think of Khabib’s interview comments? Let us know in the comments below.

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