Islam Makhachev confirms Khabib Nurmagomedov's presence in corner for UFC 302 clash against Dustin Poirier: "The eagle is landed"

Islam Makhachev recently confirmed the presence of Khabib Nurmagomedov in his corner for his upcoming fight against Dustin Poirier. Makhachev will meet Poirier on June 1 in the main event of UFC 302 in Newark, New Jersey.

Nurmagomedov has kept himself away from the sport since the beginning of last year, but he still mentors close companions like his cousin Usman Nurmagomedov.

During the ceremonial poster signing session, Makhachev told UFC cameras that Nurmagomedov is set to return to the octagon as a cornerman in his third title defense against Poirier:

''Eagle is landed in Jersey City. He’s going to be in my corner. Honestly, I’m very happy because he’s one of the best corner, coach, brother, friend. That’s it.''

Check out Islam Makhachev's comments below:

Although Nurmagomedov has spent the whole of Makhachev's training camp in New Jersey, many weren't sure if he would be in the corner on fight night. The UFC Hall of Famer was absent from Makhachev’s first and second title defenses against former UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski as he declared last year that he was giving up the sport completely in order to spend more time with his family.

The last time Nurmagomedov was in Makhachev's corner was for the vacant lightweight title bout against Charles Oliveira at UFC 280 in October 2022, where Makhachev defeated Oliveira via submission in the second round to become the champion.

Makhachev is the closest person to the Nurmagomedov family without being a direct blood relative. He trained under 'The Eagle's' late father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov and is a childhood friend of the UFC legend.

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Islam Makhachev acknowledges Khabib Nurmagomedov for helping him prepare for fight against Dustin Poirier

Khabib Nurmagomedov has been helping Islam Makhachev train for his main event matchup with Dustin Poirier at UFC 302. Nurmagomedov is no stranger to prepping for Poirier, having submitted him in the third round to unify the lightweight belt in 2019.

Makhachev recently discussed his training camp and gave Nurmagomedov credit for preparing him for his upcoming title defense. In a video posted on 'The Eagle's' YouTube channel, the reigning champion said:

''When Khabib was preparing for him [Poirier], we trained together, and I was already involved in the discussion of the fight preparation plan against Dustin. I don't think the preparation and plan for the fight will differ much because we know Dustin's strengths and weaknesses."

Check out Islam Makhachev's comments below (1:38):