Khabib Nurmagomedov Sends a Message to Dana White and Alexander Volkanovski as Islam Makhachev Prepares for Rematch Against FW Champ at UFC 294- “We’re Ready”

Alexander Volkanovski stepped in as a replacement for Charles Oliveira at UFC 294. He will now take on Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title. Some people believe that it might be difficult to focus on ‘The Great’ given that he had trained for another fighter. However, his mentor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, doesn’t believe that it will be a problem.

Khabib Nurmagomedov joined Islam Makhachev in Abu Dhabi to train with him ahead of the UFC 294 showdown. However, he will not be cornering his protégé on October 21st. He did not shy away from making his thoughts known and sent a message to Alexander Volkanovski and Dana White in a post on Instagram.

Khabib Nurmagomedov sends a confident message to Dana White and Alexander Volkanovski

When the news broke out about Alexander Volkanovski stepping in to fight in place of Charles Oliveira, ‘The Eagle’ did not make much of a fuss about it. He was confident in Islam Makhachev as a champion and claimed that he would fight anybody if they could make the weight. Nurmagomedov said. “Islam is a world champion now. If somebody can make 155, and UFC say this guy is a contender, who cares? It doesn’t matter.”

Khabib Nurmagomedov even made a hilarious statement, claiming that Islam Makhachev is ready to take on the fictional character of ‘King Kong’ if the UFC wanted him to. “If King Kong can make 155, okay, bring this guy here. Doesn’t matter,” said the UFC Hall of Famer.

The 29-0 legend also mentioned a conversation he had with his protégé Makhachev and his former manager, Ali Abdelaziz. He told them that it did not matter who stepped up to fight since Makhachev was the champion. He even named a few notable lightweight fighters, including featherweight champion Volkanovski, claiming that his protégé would easily beat them.

“I told Ali [Abdelaziz] and I told Islam today morning, ‘Brother, doesn’t matter [who fights]. We are the world champion. Volk, Charles, Poirier, or Justin, doesn’t matter, brother,” said Khabib Nurmagomedov. Moreover, he gave the Aussie fighter a reminder about his first encounter with Islam Makhachev.

‘The Eagle’ claims Islam Makhachev is ready to fight anyone

Khabib Nurmagomedov spoke about how Charles Oliveira was the initial opponent. However, since Islam Makhachev had already beaten him once, it did not matter if he was fighting or not. He said, “It [was] supposed to be Charles, okay? He pulled out. But we already beat him and we don’t care about this.”

However, if the UFC wants Makhachev to fight Alexander Volkanovski, he’ll easily oblige. Despite the showdown at UFC 284 being a close one, Nurmagomedov did not fail to remind that his protégé picked up a unanimous decision win. “But if they want Volk again, first fight it was very good [and] very competitive fight but we know and their team know we win unanimous decision. It was not even split decision,” the Hall of Famer further stated.

Read More: Is Islam Makhachev a Black Belt? All About UFC Champ’s Sambo and Martial Arts Background

‘The Eagle’ has assured that Islam Makhachev is not going to miss weight for the fight. He’s well-prepared, has a few more training sessions left before the fight, and is itching to get inside the Octagon. “Islam [is] almost on weight [and] on point. He’s ready to go. We have five more hard days of training and we’re ready for Abu Dhabi,” Khabib Nurmagomedov added.

Just when we thought UFC 294 was in trouble, Dana White announced a blockbuster fight between two of the best fighters on the roster. We will have to wait and see if Islam Makhahcev can continue his undefeated streak or if Alexander Volkanovski fulfills his dream and becomes a double champion in Abu Dhabi. What are your thoughts? Drop your comments below.

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