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Khabib Nurmagomedov gave secret message to Islam Makhachev before famous UFC title defense

Posted on by angelo
Khabib Nurmagomedov gave secret message to Islam Makhachev before famous UFC title defense

Legendary UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has had a number of iconic title defenses during his career, one of which has stuck in fans’ memories.

At UFC 242 in September 2019, the undefeated champion from Dagestan welcomed fan favorite Dustin Poirier to Abu Dhabi for a major title showdown. A devout Muslim, Nurmagomedov, was treated as a local fighter in the region.

The American had capped an impressive six-fight unbeaten streak with an interim lightweight title victory over Max Holloway a few months prior. But he faced a very stern test with Nurmagomedov, who managed to submit him in the third round after a surprising back-and-forth.

Dustin Poirier almost dethroned Khabib Nurmagomedov

During Nurmagomedov’s run to UFC legend status, the Russian barely seemed in danger of losing a round in most fights, let alone tasting defeat. He had arguably lost a fight to Gleison Tibau, although he ended up winning that decision and otherwise competing in the lightweight division.

However, the undefeated lightweight found himself in a dangerous position midway through the third round against Poirier. The Louisiana native pulled out the guillotine and locked in the submission tightly, with many believing this was the moment Nurmagomedov would finally taste defeat.

Unfortunately for Poirier, he was unable to gain full control of this position. And when Nurmagomedov released the head, he almost immediately took over and landed his own submission with a rear naked choke.

Khabib Nurmagomedov gave secret message to Islam Makhachev before Dustin Poirier fight

One man who was a close friend and teammate of Nurmagomedov during his career was current lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. The duo rose through the ranks together and are now etched in the history books together as 155-pound champions.

Islam Makhachev in a black t-shirt holds the UFC belt in the air
IMAGO/USA TODAY/Craig Kidwell

Makhachev was appearing on Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen’s Good Guy/Bad Guy show on ESPN yesterday when he noted a behind-the-scenes story from that famous Abu Dhabi event. He claims that the abandonment of the guillotine position was planned in advance in an attempt to wear Poirier out in later rounds.

“Before the fight, I swear to God Khabib said to me, ‘hey, catch me with the guillotine, I have to feel it’.” Makhachev told Cormier and Sonnen. “I’m going to give him my neck and tire him out, and what we did in the locker room before the fight.”

Islam Makhachev admits he doesn’t respect Dustin Poirier’s guillotine

In that mold, Makhachev admitted he doesn’t really fear the potential of being submitted by one of Poirier’s famous guillotines when the two face off at UFC 302 next month in New Jersey. He regularly attempts to finish off opponents with this move, but has yet to do so in a major pay-per-view fight.

Makhachev initially tried to assert that he respected Poirier’s ability to use the guillotine effectively. But Cormier, who is a teammate of his at AKA, knew he wasn’t being honest and joked that he was trolling.

“Okay, I don’t respect his guillotine,” Makhachev admitted. “Because I never see him finishing someone off at the guillotine. Maybe one day, but it won’t be me.

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