Khabib Nurmagomedov appeared distraught after the UFC 311 co-main event.
The Russian MMA legend was on the corner guiding lightweight champion Islam Makhachev to a resounding victory over Renato Moicano in the UFC 311 headliner.
In the first fight of the night, Khabib Nurmagomedov's other teammate, Tagir Ulanbekov, had Joe Rogan in foul trouble during his unanimous decision win over Clayton Carpenter.
However, Umar Nurmagomedov failed to achieve three wins from three fights for the team.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Viral images show the stripped Khabib Nurmagomedov
Bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili lost the first two rounds on the judges' scorecards before using his world-class cardio to score a sensational come-from-behind victory.
Ultimately, 'The Machine' earned a unanimous decision to defend his 135-pound title for the first time since defeating Sean O'Malley to become champion at UFC 306 last September.
As the scorecards 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46 were read, a fan in the UFC 311 crowd pointed his camera at Khabib, who looked extremely concerned.
The 29-0 former champion held on to the Octagon fence and bowed his head as Bruce Buffer announced his cousin had suffered the first loss of his 19-fight MMA career.
At one point, Nurmagomedov covered his face before angrily turning away from UFC boss Dana White as he responded to his team suffering a rare setback.
Khabib Nurmagomedov makes statement after UFC 311
On Sunday, Khabib Nurmagomedov shared some thoughts about his “tough night” at the Intuit Dome in California.
“I had a rough night last night, as I expected,” he wrote on Instagram.
“[Islam] has once again proven that he is the best in the world right now, and I am very happy for him and the journey he has made in this sport. In the history of mixed martial arts, very few fighters have achieved what he has achieved. Keep working my brother, this is not the limit.
“[Umar] keep your head up Junior, yesterday you showed that you are one of the best in the world, the moment we have something to work on we will work on the mistakes and get back to the title race.
“[Tagir] did well and made me very happy, but I know he can do even better, this year we still have to win a few more fights. Don't forget our goal, buddy.'
Related topics
Comments