Morning Report: Khabib Nurmagomedov 'not OK' with superfight between Islam Makhachev and Belal Muhammad

12/17/2024 08:00 AM

Khabib Nurmagomedov knows Islam Makhachev wants to be a two-division champion, he'd just prefer it not be at Belal Muhammad's expense.

Muhammad, the UFC's reigning welterweight champion has trained with Nurmagomedov and Makhachev in the past, including ahead of his UFC 304 title triumph over Leon Edwards this past July. Prior to that win, the lightweight champion Makhachev had frequently discussed moving up to 170 pounds to fight Edwards and possibly become a two-division titleholder. Suffice to say, Muhammad holding the gold now complicates that scenario.

Henry Cejudo recently had a candid conversation with Nurmagomedov, which he shared to his YouTube. In it, Nurmagomedov told Cejudo that he doesn't like the idea of his friends fighting each other.

"My heart, not OK," Nurmagomedov said. "It's going to be hard to prepare Islam to beat Belal. He's very close to me. … For me, it's going to be hard to prepare somebody to beat Belal."

This is not an immediate concern for any of the parties involved, with Makhachev scheduled to defend his title against past opponent Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 311 on Jan. 18, and Muhammad expected to face undefeated No. 1 welterweight contender Shavkat Rakhmonov next. Should both men emerge victorious from those challenges and continue to hold onto their spots, talks of a superfight will undoubtedly persist.

Nurmagomedov considers Muhammad to be one of the toughest five-round fighters in the business and if anyone is to dethrone him, they'll have to risk it all and go for a finish.

"If you want to beat Belal, I think you have to stop him," Nurmagomedov said. "Without stoppage, what are you going to do? OK, if you take him down, it's very hard to control him 25 minutes, first of all. Second, it's very hard to dominate with him in striking game all 25 minutes because he mixes it up. He don't stay with you all 25 minutes. He wrestle and strike, wrestle and strike. He's good."

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FINAL THOUGHTS

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I really have no interest in Makhachev or anyone else pursuing superfights until they've rattled off at least five title defenses in their division. There are certainly exceptions to be made, especially at heavyweight and light heavyweight where the talent pool is thin, but typically I'm of the mindset that sustained excellence in a single weight class matters far more for your legacy than chasing instant glory.

But maybe that's just me.

EXIT POLL

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