Coach Khabib Nurmagomedov Condemns Islam Makhachev for Dangerous Adventure Ahead of Welterweight Ambition

Khabib Nurmagomedov not entertained in least bit in off-road biking adventures by Islam Makhachev before UFC 170-pound shift up.

Coach Khabib Nurmagomedov Condemns Islam Makhachev for Dangerous Adventure Ahead of Welterweight Ambition

Khabib Nurmagomedov pitches in on Islam Makhachev and his odd biking hobby (Source: X)

Khabib Nurmagomedov has kept a relatively low fighting involvement and maintained an amiable profile after hanging it up. But Nurmagomedov does continue to be part of the grind in a coaching capacity; his longtime protégé and UFC 155-Pound king Islam Makhachev is making a shift up to welterweight soon.

Nurmagomedov is still infamous for his devout methods and rigor. Unlike ‘The Eagle’, Makhachev is a free-willed adrenaline chasing junkie and Nurmagomedov wants no part in it! Outside of fighting, though, the Dagestani is heavily into motorsports. During UFC 302, Timex even sponsored his bike riding snippets for media, releasing the 50mm UFC Rumble, 52mm Timex UFC Rush, and ‘King’ collection.

Very recently, footage (🎥: @RedCorner_MMA) of Makhachev went viral, posing with what looks like a Husqvarna FE 350 Pro 2024 or a custom Enduro series ride. He even got it stuck hillside and powered through. Coach Khabib, though, was less than thrilled with his choice of off-road motorcycle stunts. In addition to replying to the post with a facepalm emoji, Eagle also had a message on his IG story (@khabib_nurmagomedov on IG) to make his opinion on the sport clear.

I don’t like this.

When Nurmagomedov reigned supreme as the UFC 155-pound king, many in the combat clique felt it overshadowed Makhachev. However, the Dagestani came into the fold and has crafted a unique path for himself with historic stats and highlight domination. It has helped build a tale of who Makhacev is over the years, and motorsports is a big part of the life of the unintentionally funnyman Dagestani.

However, Khabib Nurmagomedov and his camp are always more about the rigor and effort than frivolous sports. If anything, while harsh, Makhachev would be needing that again soon enough. For now, he has his work cut out for him as a UFC welterweight entrant.

Islam Makhachev surprisingly advised wrestling work ahead of Jack Della Maddalena PPV title scrapper

The UFC 170-pound competition roster is in a weird, topsy-turvy state. The former #top 5 have a combined stat of 0-13 on the scales. Champs and P4P toppers like Kamaru Usman, Leon Edwards, Gilbert Burns, Stephen Thompson, and Colby Covington are all on the losing side of things.

New UFC welterweight entrant Islam Makhachev faces a potent challenge ahead
New UFC welterweight entrant Islam Makhachev faces a potent challenge ahead (Source: X)

But the new-gen welterweights are hacking it craftily. 170-pound boogeyman Shavkat Rakhmonov awaits an opportunity after his injury pullout. Ian Machado Garry, who gave him a stiff run and even was a championship backup, is awaiting his shot. Surging welterweight Michael Morales is willing to work the ladder, but is undefeated and quite potent.

2024 season breakout star, Joaquin Buckley, thinks he is a stylistic nightmare for divisional entrant Islam Makhachev. So, there is no shortage of names here; UFC litigation, though, has hinted it would be pursuing a PPV title fight between Makhachev and current champ Jack Della Maddalena, later this year.

This is exactly why longtime Team AKA teammate Daniel Cormier thinks Sambo man Makhachev should still work his wrestling game for such a fight. In a recent episode of ‘ Good Guy / Bad Guy’ Podcast, the co-host said:

Islam vs Jack is gonna be a great fight, …especially seeing Jack defend the takedowns in the way that he did and Islam struggled a little to take down Dustin Poirier… He didn’t take him down as easily as he had taken down other guys, so I think for Makhachev he needs to really lock in on getting that wrestling ready to fight a guy in Jack Della Maddalena who showed great takedown defense and, man, this dude’s got some good boxing, especially when you’re in tight with him.

Ahead of the UFC 315 PPV event headliner in Montreal, Makhachev was already angling for a shot against JDM. So, this is the name of concern for now. A big element of the Aussies’ win over Belal Muhammad was how he stuffed down Muhammad’s prime wrestling and TD attempts or deflected with smart counters.

Makhachev has proved his blockbuster striking can KO someone like Alexander Volkanovski, and even hang with Dustin Poirier. But JDM proved it’s dangerous to share standup space with him, and he can work on anti-wrestling. So, it’s a tough cloth he is cut out of.

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