Khabib gives Umar Nurmagomedov some advice
đź’Ş“Islam [Makhachev] and I have already been in [Umar’s] place. This
is called a transition period. Over time, everyone will want to
fight you. Just keep pushing forward.”Advertisement
(via. IG / @TeamKhabib)
#UFC
#MMA
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— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS)
October 28, 2024
Khabib
Nurmagomedov recently shared some advice from experience with
cousin Umar
Nurmagomedov, who is currently rallying for a bantamweight
title shot.
Currently No. 2 in the UFC rankings at bantamweight, Nurmagomedov is
widely considered the next deserving title contender. Nurmagomedov
was also in attendance and given screen time when Merab
Dvalishvili dethroned Sean O’Malley via unanimous decision at
UFC
306 this past September.
However, Dvalishvili refused to give any immediate recognition to
Nurmagomedov as his next potential opponent. “The Machine” has
since consistently downplayed Nurmagomedov’s claim to a gold bid,
accusing the Dagestani of enjoying privileges due to his relation
to “The Eagle.” Meanwhile, Nurmagomedov has accused the champ of
trying to duck him in favor of a rematch against O’Malley.
Eager to fight, Nurmagomedov was reportedly close to finalizing a
matchup against top contender Yadong Song
at UFC
Tampa in December. However, Nurmagomedov
recently announced that the booking is off due to an injury to
“The Kung Fu Kid.” The undefeated contender is now yet again
rallying for a title shot against Dvalishvili. However, he has also
verbally agreed to postpone the Song matchup to UFC 311 in
January.
Amid all the confusion regarding Nurmagomedov’s immediate future,
Khabib shared some advice with his younger cousin. According to the
former lightweight champ, this is a transitional period which both
he and teammate Islam
Makhachev have had to go through at one point. Khabib,
Makhachev and other elite wrestlers like them have always
complained about a lack of opponents before they became champion.
“The Eagle” advises Umar to continue striving and there will come a
time when everyone will want to fight him.
“He [Umar] doesn’t care. He just wants to compete,” Nurmagomedov
said on his Instagram stories (via Championship Rounds). “Islam and
I have already been to this place. This is called the transition
period. Time will pass and everyone will want to fight you. Just
keep pushing forward.