"Great champion with a big heart" - Khabib Nurmagomedov heaps praises on Alexander Volkanovski after UFC 294 performance

UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov was all praises for featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski after his second successive defeat when challenging for the lightweight title.

UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev took on Alexander Volkanovski for a second time in UFC 294's main event. The two had previously met earlier in the year on Volkanovski's home turf at UFC 284.

Their first meeting was a thriller of a contest that went in Makhachev's favor via a unanimous decision. Their second meeting this past weekend was not under ideal circumstances for Volkanovski as he stepped up to take the fight on short notice.

Brazilian contender Charles Oliveira was slated to fight Makhachev for the title again but pulled out due to an injury at the last moment.

Islam Makhachev made a statement with an incredible head kick knockout of Alexander Volkanovski. Makhachev won the Performance of the Night bonus for his finish.

Khabib Nurmagomedov had joined Makhachev at his fight camp in Abu Dhabi and put out a statement of respect in the fight's aftermath. Makhachev and Volkanovski were seen hanging out with each other in Abu Dhabi after the pay-per-view.

'The Eagle' reposted a picture of the two together on his Instagram stories and wrote:

“We respect Alex so much and wish him all the best. He is a very nice man and great champion with big heart.”

Check out a screenshot of his Instagram story below:

Nurmagomedov's Instagram story. [via Instagram @khabib_nurmagomedov]

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Khabib Nurmagomedov explains why he was not in Islam Makhachev's corner at UFC 294

Although Khabib Nurmagomedov joined up with Islam Makhachev and the rest of his team at Abu Dhabi for his fight camp, he was not part of his corner at the UFC 294 main event.

Nurmagomedov took the decision to distance himself from mixed martial arts at the turn of the year and he reiterated his stance in an Instagram post after UFC 294. He said:

"If you guys ask me where have I been? Why wasn’t I in the corner, I already answered this question, I don’t go to fights, I don’t go to the corner and I completely left everything related to MMA. I ask you to accept my decision the same way as my brothers, friends and sparring partners did. What our team achieved will forever be in the history of MMA."

Check out his Instagram post below: