‘It’s Really Hard’- Islam Makhachev Recollects What Khabib Nurmagomedov Told Him About Handling Fame

UFC lightweight elite Islam Makhachev details what Khabib Nurmagomedov revealed when he became famous. Both fighters hail from Dagestan and are close pals since childhood. ‘The Eagle’, who retired from MMA last year, continues to mentor his friends, including Makhachev.

While they came from a small place, they had it in them to become enormous stars. The fight game gave them the platform to earn their living and also pave their way into other avenues within business and entertainment.

If we consider Khabib, he wasn’t just limited to fighting once he became famous. If one looks at his schedule, he or she would find that it’s always stacked up. So, it might be difficult to spend some time with fans for him.

In a recent interview with RT Sports, Makhachev detailed what Khabib told him after he became famous. “I remember when Khabib started becoming famous, and people came up to him asking for a picture and he sometimes could say no. I was like ‘Hey! How could you refuse?'” Makhachev said.

“And Khabib said ‘Islam, when it’s your turn we will see how you handle it.’ Now I understand how hard that is. If you take a look at Khabib’s daily schedule, it’s really hard to handle it, keep it all under control,” he added.

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Recently, Khabib and his pals made a media appearance. ‘The Eagle’ signed a multi-year contract with energy drink manufacturer, Gorilla Energy. Since his retirement, he has been pretty busy. Whether it was launching his own MMA house, or promoting his products, Khabib has indulged himself completely into the background role.

What lies ahead for Islam Makhachev?

Makhachev (20-1) has long been compared to Khabib. Both share a similar fighting style and dominate their opponents at will. The Dagestani mauler recently made a jump to the upper echelons of the lightweight rankings. He will now face Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 267.

He recently picked up a submission win over Brazilian submission machine, Thiago Moises at UFC Vegas 31. This win also stretched his winning streak to 8 matches. Throughout his career, he has incurred only one loss that came against Adriano Martins way back in 2015.

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It will be interesting to see if Makhachev replicates the success and fame of his great Dagestani friend. The numbers and performances do suggest he is on the course of achieving it.

What did you make of Makhachev’s comments on Khabib? Let us know.