Islam Makhachev has spoken out in support of his close friend Umar Nurmagomedov after suffering his first defeat on Saturday evening.
As Makhachev was backstage preparing for his record-breaking win over Renato Moicano in the main event of UFC 311, he had one eye on the penultimate fight of the night. There, his teammate struggled to a decision loss to Merab Dvalishvili in his bid for bantamweight gold.
But he has backed the 29-year-old, whose cousin and coach is the legendary Khabib Nurmagomedov, to return and win the title in a later bid.
Islam Makhachev sends a message of support to Umar Nurmagomedov after UFC 311
Although he didn't let it affect his performance outwardly, Islam Makhachev has admitted he found it difficult watching backstage as Umar Nurmagomedov was comfortably defeated. He still managed to get a quick winner over Moicano, but noted how tough it was in the post-fight press conference.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
“Honestly, it was difficult,” Makhachev said. “I'm trying to warm up, but I'm still watching the fights. Maybe it made me a little sad, but Umar is still young and still hungry. He has time. Since he is still young, he made some mistakes in this fight and Merab did his job very well.
“And they had a fierce fight. Umar took no damage and he made good shots. He also broke his arm. He will come back 100 percent because he is still hungry, and one day he will become a UFC champion, I am sure.”
Umar Nurmagomedov talks about losing Merab Dvalishvili after UFC 311
In the aftermath of his loss, Nurmagomedov was all class as he spoke to Joe Rogan in the octagon and vowed to return better. And he has since made a detailed statement about the outcome and admitted he has no excuses.
“There are no excuses,” he wrote. “InshaAllah I will become champion, the rest is not important. Praise be to Allah in every situation.”
He refused to even accept 'defeat' despite losing the actual fight itself, adding: 'And I don't think I've lost this battle. If even the whole world will convince me otherwise. Deal with the injuries and get back to work.”
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