Speaking to Brett Okamoto of ESPN, Khabib Nurmagomedov has confessed that he would not know how to react if somebody beats Islam Makhachev.

It’s been close two years since Khabib Nurmagomedov last fought inside the UFC octagon. Ever since his fight against Justin Gaethje, he has gone on to launch his own promotion- Eagle Fighting Championship. But he has also been seen ring side of one of his oldest and dearest friends- Islam Makhachev.

Makhachev, who is currently ranked number 4 in the Lightweight division, is widely touted as Khabib’s successor. They come from the same place, have very similar fighting styles, and also kind of look alike. Khabib is very vocal about his support of Makhachev. Whether it’s on Twitter, or ring side, Khabib has always put his friend on a pedestal.

Makhachev is on an 11-fight win streak. When asked how he would react if he saw Islam lose a fight, Khabib responded, “I don’t know how I’m gonna feel if someone beats Islam. It would be an emotional moment.  We were together as kids, when we started our amateur career, and also our professional career. We have been doing this together for more than 20 years. I’ve seen him compete in a lot of sports, but I’ve barely seen anyone beat him.”

The undefeated Russian also touched on Makhachev potentially fighting Charles Oliveira, ” I don’t think he can do something with Islam on the ground. Islam is very good standing up, too. people can’t even touch him.  He fought against very good strikers, but they didn’t even touch him. He dominated all of them. In the last 11 months he ahs finished 4 opponents.”

Oliveira vs Makhachev is widely being touted as the next fight for the vacant UFC Lightweight title. Let’s se how it unravels!