Khabib Nurmagomedov has been slammed as "fake" by fans after an out-of-character tweet in which he claimed Charles Oliveira would pull out of his upcoming fight with Islam Makhachev.
The former lightweight champion took to Twitter yesterday to suggest that Oliveira, who is the current top 155lb fighter, would not make it to his next title fight against Makhachev which is scheduled for UFC 280 next month in Abu Dhabi. Oliveira is the champion in all but name, having been stripped for missing weight by half-a-pound in his last title defence.
But Nurmagomedov believes that Makhachev will end up fighting his rival Beneil Dariush on October 22 at the Etihad Arena, not Oliveira. Fans were surprised to see the normally soft spoken Russian engage in this sort of trash talk, particularly given that there isn't much bad blood between the two camps.
"I just think Charles Oliveira will not show up in Abu Dhabi and the UFC will replace Charles with Beneil Dariush," Nurmagomedov tweeted to his 1.9million followers yesterday. "Regardless of who the opponent will be, Islam Makhachev is on his way to becoming the best in the world."
Some suggested that the post was so uncharacteristic of Nurmagomedov that it may not be him at all, but instead his manager Ali Abdelaziz. The Dominance MMA boss is often accused of using his fighters' social media pages instead of his own to amplify certain messages, and this example seemed to be that sort of case in fans' eyes.
"Alright give Khabib his phone back Ali," one fan wrote, with another responding to someone who asked why Nurmagomedov would say such a thing by stating "It’s Ali." "Ali we know it's you by now lol," was another comment from a supporter who didn't believe that the UFC legend would write such a thing.
However, those who did believe that Nurmagomedov had written the post slammed him as "fake humble" after he consistently preached humility throughout his career. "I think you’re a fraud and youngboy better," one wrote, while another said: "A lot of words from a retired man…"
Do you think Khabib Nurmagomedov is right about Charles Oliveira? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
Oliveira has pulled out from three UFC fights, but the most recent example was in 2020, and he ultimately went on to become lightweight champion after that. Nurmagomedov, on the other hand, pulled out of five octagon fights including an interim title fight with Tony Ferguson in 2017.
The Brazilian has been on an impressive winning run that ultimately led him to the title which Nurmagomedov vacated following three defences. He has picked up 11 wins, including already defending the belt twice, assuming you include his win over Gaethje as a title defence.
Makhachev will prove a difficult task, however, and is also on a lengthy winning run at the top of the division. He hasn't lost in his last ten, and is a slight favourite with bookies. There is also a slight home advantage in his favour, despite him not being from Abu Dhabi, given his massive popularity in the Middle East.
