"He’s not going to be my corner" - Islam Makhachev details Khabib Nurmagomedov's role in camp against Charles Oliveira despite absence from scene

UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov will be a part of his longtime friend and teammate Islam Makhachev's fight camp in preparation for his title rematch at UFC 294.

Makhachev will take on Charles Oliveira in the main event of UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi on October 21.

Islam Makhachev spoke in an interview with ESPN MMA's Brett Okamoto and expressed his excitement over Khabib Nurmagomedov joining up with the rest of the team:

“He will come tomorrow. We waiting for him. Yeah, tomorrow he will come to Dubai. With us in the camp. He’s gonna be here. He’s not gonna be my corner of course, but he will be here to help. We have couple more guys gonna fight [in] other organizations here in Abu Dhabi. I don’t know fight day where he’s gonna be but next two weeks he’s gonna be here with us.”

Makhachev also mentioned what he missed from their time together when 'The Eagle' was active and the difference in him as a coach:

“I miss that time when we training together. When he have fight, when I have fight, but when he become coach like two years ago, one year ago, he pressure us very hard, you know? We did some drills, we did like almost 10 rounds sparring and after all this work, after like one and a half hour, he’d say ‘Okay, now five rounds grappling.’ But we never did this when he training with us.”

Khabib Nurmagomedov took a step back from all things MMA at the start of this year and has not cornered any of his former teammates.

Check out his comments on Khabib Nurmagomedov below [16:48]:

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Renato Moicano backs compatriot in Islam Makhachev vs. Charles Oliveira title rematch

UFC lightweight fighter Renato Moicano is hoping for a Charles Oliveira victory in his rematch against champion Islam Makhachev.

Moicano spoke on The MMA Hour and cited his compatriot's exciting style as a positive for the division and speculated about a finish at UFC 294:

"I hope Charles Oliveira beats Islam. I think that would be better for the division. Charles Oliveira is one of the most exciting fighters to watch. He always comes to brawl. That's why sometimes he looks just brilliant, because he takes chances. Maybe he can knock or even finish Islam. I hope he beats Islam but I don't see him beating Islam. It's a very tough fight for Charles Oliveira, so I have Islam Makhachev winning."

However, Moicano also bluntly admitted that Makhachev is the more likely winner of the upcoming contest.

Check out his comments below [21:06]: