Islam Makhachev has been told there is a "massive amount of pressure on his shoulders" to win back the belt Khabib Nurmagomedov once held in his fight against Charles Oliveira.
Makhachev looks to follow in the footsteps of his teammate and coach Nurmagomedov when he faces Oliveira for the vacant lightweight title at UFC 280 this Saturday. Nurmagomedov defended the 155lb title three times before vacating it when he retired from fighting last year and the UFC legend looks to pass the torch to Makhachev in the biggest fight of his career.
In the past few years, Makhachev has been labelled as 'Nurmagomedov's protege' and was even backed by the Russian's late father to become a UFC champion. The high praise from his peers is something that former UFC title challenger Dan Hardy thinks will put a burden on Makhachev heading into the title fight.
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"I think he’s proven himself in his own right," Hardy said of Makhachev to Mirror Fighting . "When he stepped into the UFC there was the whole ‘he’s the next coming of Khabib, he is Khabib's protege’. I think he’s absolutely lived up to that hype, but I think there’s a massive amount of pressure on his shoulders that we can’t begin to comprehend.
"It’s different when Khabib was still active and Makhachev was still in his shadow working away on the undercard, but since Khabib lost his father and has stepped into the head coach role, that puts Makhachev in his position. Makhachev has already got a loss on his record, he was so angry when he got knocked out by Adriano Martins.
"I think stepping into this fight with the opportunity to bring Khabib’s belt back to the team, that would be pressure I wouldn’t want on my shoulders heading into a title fight. Having Khabib in the corner, knowing full well how good he was and most likely what he would do if he was fighting against Oliveira, there is a a pressure for Makhachev to live up to that expectation now more than ever."
Nurmagomedov has previously explained that Islam was like a son to his late father Adbulmanap, who passed away two years ago after a lengthy battle with Covid-19. Nurmagomedov fought just once more following his father's death after promising his mother he would retire, submitting Justin Gaethje in the first round to improve his flawless record to 29-0.
Watch UFC 280 live on BT Sport Box Office from 5pm on Saturday, October 22. Coverage of the prelims are available to watch for free on YouTube, BTSport.com, BT Sport App and BT Sport Box Office App
