For the first time in the company’s history, UFC 311 will witness history with a couple of Dagestani natives competing in title fights. Umar Nurmagomedov will fight for the bantamweight belt, while his comrade, Islam Makhachev, will put his lightweight title up for grabs for a fourth time. And obviously, Khabib Nurmagomedov will be there to support them. But here’s the thing: ‘The Eagle’ was reported to be heading to the UAE in January 2025 to support Usman Nurmagomedov for his lightweight title defense at PFL: Road to Dubai. But a week before that, he’ll be on the other side of the globe in Inglewood, California, to corner Islam Makhachev and the Bellator champ’s brother Umar, for their respective title bouts.

Each one of them will have ‘The Eagle’s support. So, where’s the problem here? Well, retired MMA referee John McCarthy believes that the way the fight pans out for ‘Young Eagle’ against Merab Dvalishvili could heavily impact the UFC lightweight champ on an emotional level against a surging contender like Arman Tsarukyan. Hear it from the man himself:

“[Merab vs. Umar affects the main event more] because while he [Makhachev] is supposedly in his warm-up to get himself ready and stuff, all of his two coaches are where? They’re down the cage, you know, working with Umar and he’ll have emotions going on during that time based upon Umar. He is not just his teammate. That’s his brother in a way and they are very close,” McCarthy stated.

McCarthy isn’t wrong here. The Dagestani fighters have a very close relationship as they have grown up together, go through camp together, and are present for each other’s fights. Their emotions will affect each other.

“So, it is tough, but it’s one of those things he’s going to have to put to the side because he’s got a hell of a fight in a very short time after Umar gets done,” McCarthy added. It will be interesting to see how the team supports Umar while also getting Makhachev ready for his fight. But hey, things don’t end here. There’s more to the story.

UFC 311 will also have Tagir Ulanbekov from the Dagestani camp, fighting in the early prelims. So the upcoming event is quite important for Team Khabib. Even Islam Makhachev expressed his sympathy for Khabib Nurmagomedov because it is expected that he will be quite high on emotions during the event.

Earlier this month, he said, “It’s going to be a long night for him [Khabib]. From the opening… Tagir fighting the first fight, myself, Umar. I feel bad about Khabib. It’s going to be long night for him.”

Yes, it’s going to be a double nightmare. Not only will Ulanbekov, Umar Nurmagomedov, and Makhachev fight during the event, but the latter two will be in a title bout. And losing it is not an option.

Islam Makhachev will create memories with Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311!

The Dagestani lot in Khabib’s team has grown together, trained together, and always stick together. They represent some of the most loyal and disciplined fighters in all of the mixed martial arts. As such, from the early days to their time in the UFC, Islam Makhachev, and Umar Nurmagomedov have had many memories together, some of which people may be aware of.

So when a reporter asked them a favorite memory of them together, Makhachev stated that the best was yet to come. “Best moment – same night, we fight for the title. This is the best moment,” said Makhachev. Well, there is one condition, though.

Islam Makhachev is 26-1 and Umar Nurmagomedov is 18-0, but they can make their best memory together only if they both win. The former will have to successfully retain his belt and Umar will have to defeat bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili to become the new king.

The Dagestani camp, despite the possible issues that can pop up at UFC 311, is confident that they will cross the finish line successfully when the time comes. But will they be able to seamlessly execute their plans? Only time can tell.

Do you think Makhachev and Umar Nurmagomedov will win at UFC 311? Share your predictions below.