Khabib Nurmagomedov shares photo of black eye after sparring session#UFC
#Mixed Martial Arts
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— Sportskeeda MMA (@sportskeedaMMA)
September 1, 2024
Usman Nurmagomedov recently shared a photo of Khabib Nurmagomedov leaving him with a bruised eye during a sparring session.
Khabib recently posted a picture of himself with a black eye and questioned whether age was catching up to him.
According to Usman, “The Eagle” had given him the morning of the incident a rest, and when a surprised Usman asked him in the evening about the bruise around his eye, Khabib revealed that his teammate Islam Mamedov had hit him with an elbow during sparring.
“No, no, when I was fighting Islam Mamedov. [it
happened]”I had the day off from the morning. Khabib had been attacking me all week and I told him, ‘Today’s the day off.’ Khabib came to me and I said, ‘What’s wrong with your eye?’ He said, ‘Islam Mamedov, give me your elbow.'”
Mamedov last fought at Bellator 301 in November 2023, earning a split decision win over Kiris Mota and returning from a unanimous decision loss to Sydney Outlaw.
Usman is scheduled to defend his lightweight title against Alexandre Chabry on Saturday in the main event of Bellator Champions Series San Diego at Pechanga Arena in San Diego. The undefeated champion feels fortunate to have had Khabib’s tutelage throughout his training camp, and it will mark the first time a UFC Hall of Famer has had Usman in his corner while still a champion. And just having Khabib in his corner is a huge confidence boost for Usman, as he knows “The Eagle” will guide him through any problems he may encounter during the bout.
“Khabib was with me the whole time, encouraging me a lot, giving me advice… Honestly, when I have him in my corner, it feels like I have a mountain behind me,” Usman said. “And now, it doesn’t matter what happens, if someone [putting] When I’m in a bad situation in a fight, Khabib knows what to do… he knows everything. What to do with minimal energy. For me, it feels great. It’s the first time he’s in my corner. [with me as]
champion.”
Usman defended his title against Brent Primus by unanimous decision in October 2023 at Bellator 300. However, the bout was declared a no contest after Nurmagomedov failed a drug test, which Usman claimed was due to “medication” and not PEDs.
