Khabib Nurmagomedov's manager has hit out at "trash" Conor McGregor when addressing a supposed row between the Russian and Charles Oliveira.
Nurmagomedov will be in protege Islam Makhachev's corner this weekend at UFC 280 when he takes on Oliveira for the UFC lightweight title at the Etihad Arena. There has been a war of words between the UFC legend and Oliveira in the build up to the event, with the Brazilian vowing to bring Nurmagomedov out of retirement in a mega-fight after his title tilt.
In his most recent jibe Nurmagomedov made a bold prediction claiming his Russian counterpart will easily "roll over" Oliveira and become the new champion. However the pair's manager Ali Abdelaziz has insisted there is no bad blood between the pair going into the huge pay-per-view event this weekend.
"It's just a big brother supporting his little brother," Abdelaziz told Canal Encarada when addressing the recent feud between Nurmagomedov and Oliveira. "People have to understand this. We love Brazil. Khabib [Nurmagomedov] loves Brazil. We like Charles Oliveira. He's a great guy. But right now, when he signed the contract, he's the enemy. And Islam [Makhachev] is his enemy.
"But in the battlefield, you respect your enemy. You have to have rules, you have to have honourable. There's no bad blood. Whatever happens after this fight, we will shake hands and congratulate each other. 100%. I think Charles Oliveira is not a bad person. He is not like Conor McGregor - trash. We come from humble beginning [like Oliveira]. We understand the struggle."
Nurmagomedov held arguably one of the most bitter rivalries in UFC history with McGregor which has regularly involved his manager Andelaziz who is a fierce critic of the UFC superstar. The pair fought in 2018 when the Russian prevailed with a submission victory, but tensions spilled over into a mass brawl after the contest was halted.
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Even now the pair regularly trade verbal barbs on social media, but Nurmagomedov's current focus has been on the challenge of preparing Makhachev for his meeting against Oliveira. The Brazilian has recorded the most submissions in UFC history and is considered to be challenging the legacy of Nurmagomedov who is considered by many as the greatest 155lb fighter to grace the octagon.
But UFC legend Chael Sonnen believes Nurmagomedov currently remains ahead despite suggesting that Oliveira has the ability to overtake his legacy. "Forget about the 61 seconds against Poirier, forget about the four minutes against Gaethje," Sonnen said on his YouTube channel. "Every single one of those fights have a single theme – which is Charles almost lost. That's the difference.
"Whether Khabib was a little bit slower and a little bit more steady, he was never once in trouble.So based on what have I just told you we know there is a belief that we put Khabib at one and Charles at two but we understand that Charles can pass Khabib."
