The rugged mountains of Dagestan, Russia, forged an unbreakable bond between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev. Their paths crossed when Makhachev joined the gym of the late, legendary coach Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov—Khabib’s father. From training partners to cornering each other through countless battles, their journey became the stuff of MMA folklore. But in July 2020, tragedy struck when Abdulmanap passed away after an illness, leading Khabib to retire from fighting later that year.

However, in retirement, he took up his father’s mantle and became the new coach, guiding Makhachev and others through every battle like his father once did. And just days from now, he’ll do it once again as the former lightweight champion, aiming to become one of the rare double champions in UFC, steps up to challenge Jack Della Maddalena for the welterweight title at UFC 322 in New York. However, in the lead-up to the mega fight, Makhachev took on the promotional duties by dropping by the iconic Madison Square Garden to see the Knicks vs the Nets game. However, it appears the decision to attend the Knicks game didn’t exactly sit well with Khabib.

Khabib Nurmagomedov expresses his disapproval

Crosstown rivals, the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Knicks, faced off on Sunday at the very same arena where Islam Makhachev is set to fight next Saturday. The Knicks dominated the night, cruising to a 134-98 victory. Among the crowd was the former lightweight champion himself, who appeared on the big screen as the NBA showcased highlights from his UFC bouts. However, Makhachev truly became the center of attention when Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns presented him with a team jersey. The UFC shared the wholesome moment on social media, showing Makhachev responding to the gesture by promising, “After my fight, I’ll give you my T-shirt.” Soon after, Khabib Nurmagomedov came across the post from the UFC/Knicks on Instagram.

He couldn’t resist leaving a sarcastic and humorous comment showing his disapproval. “He won’t help you in our game [laughing emoji],” Khabib wrote. Makhachev also chimed in under the Knicks’ post, writing, “It was easy today.” Hopefully, though, this trip to MSG won’t affect his game when fight night arrives next weekend. In the meantime, Jack Della Maddalena had been training with Makhachev’s former opponent, Alexander Volkanovski, Craig Jones, and Ben Vickers in Perth before arriving in New York for the fight himself.

And this training may pay off for the Aussie, as Maddalena’s former opponent believes.

Everyone is counting Jack Della Maddalena out against Islam Makhachev, says former opponent

Danny Roberts, a former UFC star, believes Jack Della Maddalena is being unfairly written off ahead of the fight. Roberts, who was knocked out by Della Maddalena in 2022, insists fans are underestimating the Australian’s talent. “It was amazing to get in there, and I knew from the second we started throwing hard: ‘This is a good kid,’” Roberts told The Independent.

“You know your levels… and I knew he was going to be great.” Despite Makhachev’s dominance at lightweight, Roberts believes Della Maddalena will surprise many. “He’s going to give Makhachev problems, and a lot of people might not see that,” he added. “Some people counted him out against Belal, some people counted him out against a friend of mine, Gilbert Burns. The kid’s special.” 

Having said that, Khabib Nurmagomedov might prefer that Islam Makhachev spend more time in the gym. However, promoting the fight is as important, and Makhachev isn’t the type to skip hard work. What did you make of Khabib’s comment?