Khabib Nurmagomedov clearly believes that Dustin Poirier will beat Conor McGregor in their trilogy fight this July as he’s also predicting that he will also become the champion of the lightweight division by the end of the year.
However, Khabib has also stated his belief that it’s only a matter of time before his own teammate Islam Makhachev becomes the new divisional kingpin at 155lbs.
“Charles Oliveira is a very worthy champion,” Nurmagomedov initially stated during a press conference in Russia. “Many finishes, many records in the UFC. It would be a shame if Michael Chandler [had] won. Two fights and already a champion in the UFC? Somehow that would be wrong.”
Despite that, Khabib doesn’t believe the Brazilian’s title reign will last long.
“When Islam Makhachev reaches the top of the rankings, Charles do Bronx wont be the champion anyomore. I hope Charles understands my words. I really respect him, he deserves that belt, but when Makhachev time has come, I believe Dustin will be the champion and it will happen this year.”
Makhachev is currently riding a seven fight winning streak in the Octagon, but he’s yet to be unleashed against the best the ligthweight division has to offer, with his recent victories having come against the likes of Drew Dober, Davi Ramos and Arman Tsarukyan.
Despite Khabib’s continued endorsement for his teammate though, The UFC brass appears to be continuing to keep the foot on the break with regards to his title prospects as though he’s ranked No.9 in the division, Makhachev has been lined up against the current No.14 ranked Thiago Moises for his next fight.
This is an all too familiar story for Khabib as he too had to amass a nine fight winning streak before he finally earned a title shot, but the fact that he did eventually ascend to become an all-time great will give Makhachev hope that his own perseverance will also eventually pay off.
