Khabib Squares Up To Trump At UFC 302 – ‘Stop All This’
Khabib Nurmagomedov was seen interacting with former US President Donald Trump at UFC 302
Trump was present in the arena as Islam Makhachev took on Dustin Poirier in a defense of his UFC Lightweight Title. Makhachev submitted Poirier in the fifth round to cap off a memorable win. Khabib was in Islam’s corner, which would have made a difference since The Eagle also had a win over Poirier. After the win, Khabib could be seen having a conversation with Trump.
Trump is currently involved in legal trouble after having been charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. While Trump faces a battle to clear up those accusations, given that he is running for the US Presidency, he also has another battle on his hands. During their conversation, Khabib told the ex-President to stop the Israel-Palestine war. The conflict continues to rumble on with no signs of stopping. The US President made a bold promise that he would end it.
Khabib vs. Trump
Khabib: “I know you’re gonna stop all this Palestine war.”
Trump: “We’re gonna stop it. I’m gonna stop it.”
Makhachev is already planning his next move elsewhere as he seeks a title in the welterweight division. Makhachev has nothing else to prove in the lightweight division, having already beaten Charles Oliveira, Alexander Volkanovski, and Poirier. Leon Edwards is the current UFC Welterweight Champion, as Islam plots his path to secure a title shot.
Arman Tsarukyan is one of the leading names who could face Islam. They met in 2019 when Islam beat him via a unanimous decision. But since then, Tsarukyan has transformed his career. He has nine wins and one loss in his last ten UFC fights. While a rematch is not at the top of his list, Islam was open to it if he could not get a big fight at welterweight.
“Who doesn’t want to be double champion? This is history. How many double champions we have? This is a dream for all fighters, to get second belt. This is my dream. I want to be in the history and people know me like double champ. This is my dream. If I have chance, a small chance, I will get. If you want a great legacy, you have to get second belt. It’s my opinion. It does not make sense when you have rematch. I need some new challenge. But if Dana want, let’s do it. No problem,” Makhachev said
Makhachev’s Standing
The win made Makhachev one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport. Dana White did not take too kindly those suggestions, as he still had Jon Jones as the best. He referenced Bones’ win over Ciryl Gane, which came against the division’s best when he had been absent from the sport for three years. While Makhachev’s stock has increased, he still has plenty to go before he convinces White that he is the best.
“I think he’s incredible, I don’t think he’s the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world,” White said. “For anybody to call Islam the best pound-for-pound best fighter in the world when Jon Jones is still…fighting is nuts and shouldn’t be ranking in the pound-for-pound or doing any of the…rankings ever if that’s what you really think.
“Jon Jones has never lost a fight ever. He’s fought all the baddest dudes in the world, and then when you think about what pound-for-pound rankings really mean, he moved up to heavyweight and destroyed the best guy in the world. As long as Jon Jones is still fighting, active, and in the rankings, yeah, nobody is the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world,” White stated
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