“Everything as planned. Alhamdulillah,” Khabib Nurmagomedov posted on his Instagram story, sharing a clip of his protégé Islam Makhachev jumping rope before UFC 311. But only their immediate teammates knew how grueling the entire event was. First was Tagir Ulanbekov’s fight from the Dagestani camp, and later Umar Nurmagomedov stepped into the octagon with the intention of becoming the new bantamweight champion. But fate was cruel to him that evening as Merab Dvalishvili defended his belt.

As Makhachev watched his teammate’s first loss from the locker room, he couldn’t even find time to console him. The lightweight champion was scheduled to next enter the octagon against Renato Moicano. Though he won the bout in round 1 via submission (brabo choke), the team couldn’t relish it much. What does Makhachev have to say about UFC 311?

Islam Makhachev shared in an interview with Ushatyka about his thoughts on such a packed schedule for his team. As translated from Russian to English by YouTube’s auto-generated captions, the fighter stated:

“I already said to Khabib, I do not want to take fights like that anymore so that someone from the team fights before me. It doesn’t work.” Think about it, it’s not just about the physical grind, it’s the mental rollercoaster.

“The TV is on, and I know I have to go out next, and meanwhile I still need to get ready for the fight. I still watched three rounds and I’m already dry. I haven’t warmed up yet. I need to sweat. I still have Khabib, Javier Mendez, they were all his corner men and Mamedov Islam was ours too, the trainer with me in the locker room. I put him carefully under the TV at the top. Here, [let’s train] I will watch the fight [at the same time]. And so, somehow I warmed up and went out to fight,” he said.

Imagine trying to get in fight mode with your mind still on your teammate’s loss. Not exactly an ideal setup, right?

Khabib’s protégé didn’t hold back about how tough it was after Umar Nurmagomedov suffered his first-ever defeat in the co-main event of UFC 311. Despite the emotional turmoil backstage, Makhachev still stepped up, dominating Renato Moicano and defending his title. In fact, a week ago, Makhachev stated, “Honestly, it was hard. I try to warm up, but I still watch the fights. Maybe it did make me a little bit sad.”

But even after all that, the reigning 155lbs champ didn’t let it get to him. “Umar is still young and still hungry,” he added.

Here’s the thing about Team Khabib: They’re tight. It’s almost like family. So then watching a teammate, a brother, lose? That’s not just a physical challenge, it’s a mental one. Watching Umar Nurmagomedov take the L against Merab Dvalishvili was no easy pill to swallow.

Did Umar Nurmagomedov’s loss affect Islam Makhachev more than we think?

While Islam Makhachev went on to defend his title in the main event of UFC 311, you can’t ignore the mental toll. Last week, he even admitted that his camp pushed ‘Young Eagle’ too soon. “I know 100% he going to work more. He not like ready for this fight because you know he come from the injury but when UFC call him and give him the opportunity to fight for the title, he say yes. But a little bit we did mistake, but experience (is what matters).”

It wasn’t just a minor bump in the road, it’s a boundary Makhachev is now setting for himself. He doesn’t want to fight in the same event as his fellow teammates. But what about the aftermath of Nurmagomedov’s loss? That was a bit of a circus. A lot of critics pointed fingers, suggesting Nurmagomedov might have been making excuses when he mentioned his broken hand.

But here’s where the young fighter showed some serious maturity. Right after the bout, the former undefeated Dagestani didn’t dodge responsibility. He didn’t blame injury, fatigue, or anything else. Instead, he focused on the future.

In his Octagon chat with Joe Rogan, Umar Nurmagomedov kept it classy, vowing to come back stronger. “There are no excuses,” he wrote after the fight. “InshaAllah I will become the champion, the rest is not important. Praise be to Allah in any situation.” No finger-pointing, no dodging accountability, just straight-up determination to get better.

Now, UFC 311 wasn’t just another night at the office for the Dagestani club. It was a night that might have cracked the so-called ‘Dagestani wall’ just a little, but it’s also a lesson learned the hard way. Mental preparation is just as important as the physical grind.

With Umar Nurmagomedov vowing to come back stronger, do you think he’ll be able to claim the title? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!