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Khabib's friends make a tight group that have a special place in The Eagle's life.
Former UFC lightweight champion and #1 pound-for-pound fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov is widely considered one of the most vicious men inside the octagon. Skilled in Combat Sambo, judo and wrestling, he is famous for mauling his opponents with unbelievable pace and efficacy.
However, The Eagle is also a warm and humble person with a sense of humor that tickles the funny bone. Viewed as the deadliest MMA fighter on the planet, it's ironic that Khabib Nurmagomedov could also pass as the friendliest.
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On that note, let's take a look at five of Khabib Nurmagomedov's closest friends in MMA.
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#5 - Ali Abdelaziz
Ali Abdelaziz is an Egyptian MMA fighter-turned-manager. Before turning manager to some of the biggest names in UFC like Khabib Nurmagomedov, Kamaru Usman, Justin Gaethje and Henry Cejudo, Abdelaziz had a brief MMA career (1-3).
While managers are supposed to have great relations with their fighters, the relationship between Ali Abdelaziz and Khabib Nurmagomedov goes beyond that. From the time Abdelaziz "protected his friend" Khabib from a rematch against Rafael dos Anjos to Khabib warning 50 Cent to "never talk bad about my brother", the two have a solid friendship.
Khabib's friend Ali Abdelaziz is the owner of the marketing agency Dominance MMA. When he isn't busy making calls and fixing fights for his clients, Abdelaziz spends time at the AKA Academy in San Jose, California, training with Khabib.
#4 - Asadulla Emiragaev
Often referred to as Khabib's elder brother, Asadulla Emiragaev is one of Khabib's friends from childhood. Not as famous as the rest of Khabib's friends on this list, Asadulla's most popular moment was perhaps when he jumped inside the octagon to sucker-punch Conor McGregor following the UFC 229 main-event brawl.
Khabib's friend Asadulla is also from Dagestan and is a sambo practitioner. There is not much information available about the guy anywhere but he regularly features in Khabib's social media posts.
In the Instagram post above, Khabib's friend Asadulla is referred to by The Eagle as "Старший", which roughly translates to "older" or "senior". Khabib Nurmagomedov would also not hand his championship belt to many people to flaunt, so we figure Asadulla is one of the core members of Khabib's team.
Khabib Nurmagomedov shared a memory on Instagram from 2008, when the 19-year-old 'Eagle' was training for his MMA debut. Khabib's friend Asadulla is seen posing at the center of the photo, showing that the two have been friends right from the early days.
In the caption, Khabib wrote:
"Training camp in Poltava, Ukraine. Everybody preparing to compete somewhere. And I was preparing for my MMA debut."
#3 - Zubaira Tukhugov
A Russian MMA fighter of Chechen descent, Zubaira Tukhugov is Khabib's friend and a teammate of the former UFC lightweight champion.
Competing professionally in MMA since 2010, Zubaira Tukhugov has fought for different promotions like Cage Warriors, ProFC and EFN among others. He made his UFC debut in 2014 against Douglas Silva de Andrade.
Zubair Tukhugov was suspended in 2016 by USADA for using a performance-enhancing drug. With the suspension nearing its end, Khabib's friend Tukhugov was banned from the UFC for good by Dana White for his involvement in the UFC 229 brawl.
However, proving the loyalty that Khabib Nurmagomedov has for his friends, The Eagle threatened that he would leave UFC if Khabib's friend Tukhugov wasn't allowed to fight. Khabib Nurmagomedov said:
"In any case, punish me, Zubaira Tukhugov has nothing to do with that. If you think that I’ll keep silent then you are mistaken. You canceled Zubaira’s fight and you want to dismiss him just because he hit Conor. But don’t forget that it was Conor who had hit my another Brother FIRST.. If you decide to fire him, you should know that you’ll lose me too. We never give up on our brothers in Russia and I will go to the end for my Brother."
Khabib's friend Tukhugov has also joined his company as a cornerman. At UFC 253, The Eagle had cornered Zubaira Tukhugov against Hakeem Dawodu, just weeks before Khabib's swan song fight against Justin Gaethje.
Zubaira Tukhugov revealed how The Eagle had surprised him ahead of UFC 253. Khabib's friend Tukhugov said:
"He (Khabib) didn’t even call me. He just showed up. Khabib just comes into the locker room. It was very surprising and nice. He says, ‘I came to support you. Help you cut weight.’ I had my coach and one of my friends with me. So I could’ve used some support. Khabib came and genuinely helped me. I’d hear him encourage me."
#2 - Islam Makhachev
Islam Makhachev (19-1) is Khabib Nurmagomedov's childhood friend, training partner and cornerman. In many of Khabib's fights, Islam is seen in The Eagle's corner, taking turns with coach Javier Hernandez to guide Khabib.
Islam Makhachev is also a UFC lightweight fighter and is currently ranked #11 in the division. He made his debut in the world's premier MMA promotion in 2015, and has lost just one fight in his pro MMA career.
Ever since losing to Adriano Martins at UFC 192 in 2015, Khabib's friend Islam Makhachev is on a seven-fight winning streak. His last win came against Drew Dober at UFC 259, where he won via submission in round 3 with Khabib Nurmagomedov present in Islam's corner.
Khabib's friend Islam Makhachev is backed to take the spot of The Eagle in the UFC, riding on his wrestling prowess and high fight IQ.
#1 - Daniel Cormier
Former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier (22-3, 1 NC) is not just Khabib's friend but his 'BFF'. The two fighters share a camaraderie that is rare and, therefore, heartwarming to see for MMA fans. Khabib Nurmagomedov's connection with DC traces back to the AKA Academy, where Daniel Cormier is one of the assistant coaches.
There are many videos on AKA's and Khabib's coach Javier Mendez's YouTube channels where one can see Khabib Nurmagomedov and Daniel Cormier joking with each other during AKA training sessions. Khabib's friend Daniel Cormier has even claimed that it was he who taught The Eagle how to jab.
At the recent UFC 260 weigh-ins show, panel member Daniel Cormier got a surprise visit from Khabib Nurmagomedov. The Eagle awarded DC a five-star fighter rating for EA Sports UFC 4 while imitating Bruce Buffer's signature announcement style:
"And now.. the moment you have been waiting for."
When Khabib jumped out of the octagon to attack Conor McGregor's corner, it was Daniel Cormier who calmed The Eagle down to get him back inside the octagon.
