Islam Makhachev may not be an official member of the Nurmagomedov clan, but he is as close to the family as possible without a direct blood relation. He is a childhood friend of retired UFC lightweight legend, Khabib Nurmagomedov, having trained under the latter's late father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.
However, it is not just Khabib Nurmagomedov that Islam Makhachev is close to. The reigning lightweight champion is also close friends with undefeated UFC bantamweight Umar Nurmagomedov, Khabib's cousin. An old video depicted the pair's friendship after Umar lost a bet to him.
The bet was simple. Makhachev claimed that he could throw a piece of trash into a faraway trashbin from his car. Umar Nurmagomedov disagreed, so the two made a bet in which the loser would do 40 push-ups. Islam Makhachev ultimately won the bet, causing the 135-pound Nurmagomedov to perform the promised push-ups.
Unfortunately, Umar Nurmagomedov, who was once scheduled to face Cory Sandhagen in what would have surely been a bantamweight title eliminator, is not set for a bout at UFC 294. However, he is expected to be present for Makhachev's lightweight title defense against Alexander Volkanovski.
As of right now, Umar Nurmagomedov has no upcoming fight, having last fought in January, when he knocked out Raoni Barcelos within four minutes of round one at UFC Fight Night 217.
However, given the manner in which his previous bout with Volkanovski transpired, the bout should be a closely-contested affair, and it's hard to see a finish materializing.
Islam Makhachev's walk-around weight
UFC lightweight champion Islam Makahchev is among the largest 155-pounders on the roster. In fact, he has recently expressed an interest in plying his trade at welterweight, where he was challenged to a potential future title bout by UFC 296 title challenger, Colby Covington.
Ahead of his bout with Volkanovski, Makhachev took part in an interview on DC & RC with Daniel Cormier. During one of the pair's exchanges, the topic of their walk-around weight was brought up, and 'DC' revealed that Makhachev goes on to weigh as much as 200 lbs. outside of training camp.
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