“There Were Only a Couple of Fighters”: Khabib Nurmagomedov Puts Brother Islam Makhachev on Historical List After Beating “Best Active Fighter” Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284

After pulling off a win against Alexander Volkanovski in a fight that would go down in the history books, lightweight champion Islam Makhachev has received high praise from an individual very close to him. Makhachev’s friend and mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov, who owing to his retirement couldn’t be a part of the champion’s corner, congratulated him after the fight in an Instagram post.

‘The Eagle’, always a part of Makhachev’s fights, had recently announced his retirement from coaching, creating quite a furor among MMA fans. Now, despite his absence in Australia, Nurmagomedov closely followed the 31-year-old’s camp for the UFC 284 fight, providing his valuable guidance to Makhachev.

The former lightweight champ praised Makhachev after the fight, even claiming that he was among a rare list of fighters that would go down in MMA history as legends. Nurmagomedov also commended Volkanovski, calling the Australian the “best active fighter on the planet right now.”

Khabib Nurmagomedov praises Makhachev’s victory over Alexander Volkanovski

In a photo of him sitting with Makhachev, Nurmagomedov claimed that the champ had proved himself against an extremely tough challenge. ‘The Eagle’ even mentioned that although there was a lot more to achieve, the fight with Volkanovski would be an important part of MMA history.

The English-translated version of the caption read:

“Simply the best. Proved it in a hard, competitive fight against the best active fighter on the planet. There is always something to work on. But this story will remain for a long time in this sport. Just have a flashback on your memory of who topped the best regardless of weight category from Eurasia in the history of MMA, there were only a couple of fighters and Islam was already on that list. You are already history Brother @islam_makhachev.”

Undoubtedly, Nurmagomedov feels very highly about his friend. And while some might argue that the current champ has a lot to prove, there is no denying that the fight against the featherweight champion is one that goes down in the history books. Ultimately, a few fights down the line coupled with some dominant wins would eventually put Makhachev among some of the MMA greats as mentioned by Khabib.

Islam Makhachev and Volkanovski fight their heart out in a five-round battle

Makhachev and Volkanovski gave it their all in their tense affair at UFC 284. Surprisingly, Makhachev displayed some improved and clean striking, landing a number of counters that saw the Australian step back. Volkanovski, too, was able to do the same with his wrestling. The featherweight champ showed amazing wrestling defense while simultaneously creating offensive opportunities.

Read More: Islam Makhachev Admits He Got Overwhelmed by “Short” Alexander Volkanovski’s Physical Strength at UFC 284(Video): “Big Experience for Me”

At the end of the fight, although the Australian did not seem happy with the decision, he no doubt proved that he was indeed among the best fighters in the world right now. After that electric performance, many fans and fighters shared their idea of a rematch as well.

Khabib Nurmagomedov too, with his post, proved that the fight was one that fans would look back on and consider as one of the classics. And ultimately with a few wins down the line, Makhachev might even find himself among the greatest legends of the sport as pointed out by Nurmagomedov.

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