UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov goes to have his work lower out for him on January 18.
Whereas ‘The Eagle’ now not competes contained in the Octagon, struggle followers can commonly discover him cornering the likes of reigning light-weight world champion Islam Makhachev and his cousin, Umar Nurmagomedov, each of whom will probably be competing on the identical evening when the UFC returns to pay-per-view in 2025.
Emanating from the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, the primary occasion of the night will see Makhachev put his 155-pound crown on the road towards the division’s top-ranked contender, Arman Tsarukyan.
Simply earlier than Makhachev enters the cage for his fourth light-weight title protection, Umar Nurmagomedov will problem bantamweight titleholder Merab Dvalishvili within the co-main occasion. It will likely be the Georgian’s first time defending the 135-pound belt since claiming it through a dominant choice win over ‘Sugar’ Sean O’Malley in September.
Throughout a latest interview with The Schmo, longtime Khabib Nurmagomedov coach and American Kickboxing Academy founder Javier Mendez expects it to be a mentally draining weekend for ‘The Eagle’ as he seems to be to steer each his fighters to the most important wins of their respective careers.
“It’s going to be actually busy for him mentally as a result of he has to take care of, you already know, two of his brothers that he likes to dying—one is his cousin, and one is Islam, who he’s been coaching with since childhood,” Mendez stated. “So for him, it’s going to be a ball of nerves.
“For me, it’s not that unhealthy in any respect as a result of I’m used to it now. I can go proper by means of it—no drawback. He’s going to be a wreck, although.”
Mendez says all the pieces is ‘on level’ forward of makhachev and nurmagomedov’s huge evening
Providing some perception into Makhachev and Nurmagomedov’s coaching forward of UFC 311, Mendez added:
“However issues are nice, issues are implausible. The coaching is implausible. We’re on level, we’re on level. We now have three extra weeks of arduous coaching, after which we’re off to Los Angeles. We’ll see what occurs.”
Whereas Makhachev is already acquainted with the intense lights of a five-round title struggle, it will likely be an unfamiliar feeling for Umar Nurmagomedov. The undefeated star secured his first shot at UFC gold with a formidable exhibiting towards Cory Sandhagen over the summer time. The win jumped him all the best way as much as the No. 2 spot within the rankings, setting the stage for his showdown with ‘The Machine.’
Mixed, Makhachev and Nurmagomedov have gained their final 32 fights.
