UFC light-weight champ Islam Makhachev has been so impressed with teammate Umar Nurmagomedov’s work ethic over time — however not the upcoming bantamweight title challenger’s gasoline pumping abilities.
Makhachev headlines Saturday’s UFC 311 pay-per-view occasion as he defends his title in opposition to Arman Tsarukyan in a rematch, whereas Nurmagomedov challenges 135-pound champ Merab Dvalishvili within the co-main evet.
Forward of the UFC’s first huge occasion of 2025, Makhachev shared a hilarious story of a younger Nurmagomedov making an enormous mistake whereas pumping gasoline earlier than a deliberate street journey.
“One time we have been coaching in San Jose and a number of the guys say, ‘Let’s go to San Francisco,’” Makhachev stated at media day. “I informed them, ‘Hey, no, I don’t wish to go to San Francisco as a result of a number of the time, [there’s] visitors a couple of hour [driving during] the weekend.’ They only go away, 4 individuals and I referred to as them after two hours. ‘Hey, the place are you guys? You attain San Francisco?’
“They are saying, ‘No, we reached the lodge the place we [left] from.’ I stated, ‘What occurred?’ They informed me, ‘We go to the gasoline station and Umar put diesel in our automobile.’”
Makhachev seems to make historical past this weekend. With a victory, the No. 1 pound-for-pound finest fighter would develop into the primary fighter in historical past to defend the light-weight title 4 instances — which incorporates two wins over former featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski, and a submission win in opposition to Dustin Poirier in his most up-to-date protection at UFC 302 this previous June.
Nurmagomedov is undefeated over 18 professional fights, and 6 octagon appearances. In his most up-to-date outing, the 29-year-old defeated perennial contender Cory Sandhagen in the principle occasion of UFC Abu Dhabi this previous August.
Regardless of Dvalishvili saying that Nurmagomedov might not have accomplished sufficient to earn his first title shot when it comes to general résumé, Makhachev has seen the surging bantamweight put together for this second for a decade.
“I do know Umar greater than 10 years, this man’s probably the most disciplined man in our gymnasium,” Makhachev stated. “He traveled rather a lot when he [wasn’t] within the UFC. He traveled rather a lot with us, and he was coaching for 10 years with us in all places. This man’s hungry.
“When he was younger, he was all the time interested by UFC belt, ‘I wish to be champion, I wish to be [a] success.’ And he’s a tough employee, that’s why he’s a contender proper now. That’s why he’s combating for the belt. He [deserves it] as a result of I noticed how he [was] coaching. [He’s] very hungry.”
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