Islam Makhachev explains why he doesn't care about breaking Khabib Nurmagomedov's lightweight title defense record

Islam Makhachev opens up about possibly breaking Khabib Nurmagomedov
Islam Makhachev opens up about possibly breaking Khabib Nurmagomedov's UFC lightweight title defense record [Image courtesy: Getty Images]

Islam Makhachev recently explained why he doesn't care too much about breaking Khabib Nurmagomedov's UFC lightweight title defense record. The reigning lightweight champion currently sits at three title defenses after retaining his title against Alexander Volkanovski twice and Dustin Poirier.

The Dagestani has an opportunity to set a new record should he successfully retain his title against Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 311. Makhachev has constantly been compared to Nurmagomedov, especially considering their close friendship and 'The Eagle' being one of his coaches throughout his career.

While speaking to CBS Sports' Shakiel Mahjouri ahead of his title defense against Tsarukyan, Makhachev reaffirmed that he doesn't care too much about breaking his mentor's record. Makhachev mentioned that Nurmagomedov's goal is to train all his fighters to surpass him, and so believes breaking the record would just reaffirm what Khabib set out to accomplish:

"Inside the team, we don't have any competitive like, 'Who beat [Nurmagomedov's] record, you beat my record'. You know, Khabib's here to help us to be better than him, to push us, to help us. But, we never talk even about this [record]. And records, all this stuff, it's nothing for me, I just want to keep my belt...He has 29-0, brother, and this is the biggest record which I can't beat because I have one loss." [6:37]

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Check out the full interview featuring Islam Makhachev's comments below:

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Who did Khabib Nurmagomedov defend his UFC lightweight championship against?

Khabib Nurmagomedov had a very memorable reign as UFC lightweight champion, which included the most successful pay-per-view buyrate in the promotion's history.

After earning a dominant unanimous decision over Al Iaquinta to win the vacant lightweight championship, 'The Eagle' went on to successfully retain his title on three occasions before officially retiring from MMA. Nurmagomedov submitted all three of his challengers including Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje and retired with an unbeaten 29-0 record.

Check out Khabib Nurmagomedov announcing his retirement after his title defense over Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 below:

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Edited by Tejas Rathi
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