“If King Kong can make 155, bring this guy,” Khabib Nurmagomedov reacts to UFC 294 chaos as Alexander Volkanovski replaces Charles Oliveira to fight Islam Makhachev

Khabib Nurmagomedov doubles down on Islam Makhachev's situation after the Charles Oliveira pull-out, saying they are ready to fight anybody, including King Kong.

“If King Kong can make 155, bring this guy,” Khabib Nurmagomedov reacts to UFC 294 chaos as Alexander Volkanovski replaces Charles Oliveira to fight Islam Makhachev

Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov' (Image via IMAGO)

Khabib Nurmagomedov echoed his iconic line as he prepared Islam Makhachev for a showdown against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 294. Unfortunately, Charles Oliveira has had to withdraw from his anticipated title challenge due to an injury. In a surprising turn of events, UFC CEO Dana White announced the replacement. He announced on Tuesday evening that featherweight champion Volkanovski has fearlessly stepped up to the plate. Volk accepted the challenge on short notice.

He will now face lightweight champion Islam Makhachev in the highly anticipated main event of UFC 294, set to take place on October 21 in Abu Dhabi. It’s hard to believe that it’s been less than a year since Volkanovski and Makhachev clashed inside the octagon, with the fight occurring on Volkanovski’s home turf. Many fans recall that this bout was exceptionally competitive. However, Makhachev emerged victorious via a unanimous decision, thwarting Volkanovski’s aspirations of becoming a two-division champion.

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After the news gained attention and created a lot of buzz around the fight, lightweight legend and Makhachev’s teammate Khabib Nurmagomedov shared his views through the latest post. He said, “Islam is the world champion right now. If somebody can make 155 and the UFC says this guy is the contender, who cares? …If King Kong can make 155, OK bring this guy here, it doesn’t matter.”

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The ‘Eagle’ gave a glimpse of his prime fighting days by mentioning that if King Kong manages to make 155 pounds, Makhachev is ready for the fight, as it doesn’t matter. Nurmagomedov revealed that Makhachev is fight-ready for anyone the UFC brings. 

Khabib Nurmagomedov discussed the last fight between Volkanovski and Makhachev and mentioned that Makhachev clearly won that fight and this time won’t be any different.

Related: Did Alexander Volkanovski undergo surgery? Know all about featherweight champion’s injuries before fighting Islam Makhachev at UFC 294

Islam Makhachev sends appreciation towards Alex Volkanovski but also warns him ahead of their rematch

Islam Makhachev and Alex Volkanovski gave fans one of the most competitive title fights in modern MMA history at UFC 284. Volkanovski shocked a lot of fans when he went toe to toe with the Dagestani’s ground game. 

Alexander Volkanovski and Islam Makhachev at UFC 284
Alexander Volkanovski and Islam Makhachev at UFC 284 (Image Courtesy: UFC)

At the end of an intense and closely contested five rounds, Makhachev emerged victorious via a unanimous decision, but the outcome attracted controversy as a significant portion of fans and experts believed that Volk had been unfairly deprived of victory. Amidst this controversy, a rematch between these two titans was seen as an inevitable eventuality, but no one could have predicted it would materialize so soon. MMA enthusiasts were left stunned when the news of an imminent rematch broke, setting the stage for what promised to be another epic showdown between these formidable fighters. 

After Volkanovski accepted the fight on quick notice, Makhachev took the opportunity to thank Volkanovski for this gesture. However, the fighter also mentioned in the tweet that the Aussie shouldn’t use this as an excuse after losing the fight in Abu Dhabi.

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