There’s a growing number of top fighters coming out of Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov’s gym in Dagestan, and normally you might expect a few of them to clash at some point. As top contenders pile up in various divisions, it’s just a reality in the fight world. But it’s one that Team Nurmagomedov rejects, according to UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev.
In a recent interview with flyweight GOAT Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson, UFC 330 headliner Makhachev rejected the idea that his teammates would compete against each other in the UFC, even for a championship belt.
“We never fight, of course,” Makhachev said. “How are you going to fight, bro, if you’re training many years together? [Magomed Zaynukov] just came to Usman [Nurmagomedov]’s camp to help him, give him good rounds. Usman go to his camp to help him. How are they gonna fight each other?”
“Also for myself, when Khabib became champion. When I began this sport, Khabib helped me from the first day. How are you gonna fight each other? It’s like friends. We’re all brothers. It’s not possible for our teammates to fight each other.”
Makhachev has walked the walk on this particular subject, staying at lightweight and refusing to fight for the welterweight title while teammate Belal Muhammad held the 170 pound strap. And according to team elders, it’s Usman Nurmagomedov who is next in line for the UFC lightweight title. “Chanko” Zaynukov will have to be patient and wait his turn.
In the past, UFC CEO Dana White has taken it as a personal affront when fighters from the same gym refused to fight each other. He’s pushed teammate vs. teammate fights and torn up camps in the process. These days, though, he seems too distracted by boxing concerns to meddle … at least for now. If Usman and “Chanko” rise to the top of the lightweight division, he may decide to put his thumb on the scale and see just how resolute everyone is in the face of millions of dollars.