UFC welterweight tips Islam Makhachev for greatness, Sean Strickland spars Sneako, Umar Nurmagomedov set to return: MMA News Roundup

UFC welterweight tips Islam Makhachev for greatness, Sean Strickland spars influencer Sneako and Umar Nurmagomedov books his first bout in over a year.

Find out more details in today's (Feb. 10) Sportskeeda daily news roundup.

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#3 UFC welterweight believes Islam Makhachev could go down as "one of the greatest" fighters of all time

Belal Muhammad recently gave his thoughts on UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, stating that he believes he could be remembered as one of the best there ever was.

Makahchev is often compared to Khabib Nurmagomedov due to their similar fighting styles as well as the fact their close friends and 'The Eagle' has helped coach him.

In a recent appearance on the OverDogs Podcast, Muhammad shared details of his experience working and training with Makhachev, which has cemented his thought that he's one of the best around. He said:

"It's just another level of training with those guys. Their mentality is different, that's what separates a lot of them from most fighters... I think Islam is definitely pound-for-pound No.1, I feel... He could definitely go down as one of the best to ever do it. Your main training partner is Khabib your whole life, so like, those guys are so much better than everybody else."

Catch Muhammad's comments here (1:16:10):

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#2 Sean Strickland spars influencer Sneako and leaves him a bloody nose

Sean Strickland is widely regarded as one of the most intense fighters to spar with, and his session with influencer Sneako went as exactly as many would expect.

Sneako streamed the sparring on Rumble and was watched by tens of thousands of viewers at the time. In the video, both he and Strickland don a pair of boxing gloves and 'Tarzan' begins by relentlessly throwing bombs from the off that force Sneako up against the cage.

To Sneako's credit, he doesn't drop to the canvas or appear to get wobbled. UFC Hall of Famer Forrest Griffin soon steps in, however, and Sneako walks out of the octagon with a bloodied nose.

Watch the video here:

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#1 Umar Nurmagomedov books return fight against Kazakh fighter for UFC Vegas 87

Umar Nurmagomedov appears to have finally found an opponent after it was announced he is set to return in March.

Nurmagomedov last stepped into the octagon in Jan. 2023 when he defeated Raoni Barcelos via first-round KO. The victory meant that he won all four of his fights in the promotion so far, and earned two performance bonuses.

Since his victory over Barcelos, Nurmagomedov had been keen to return to the octagon multiple times in 2023 but was unable to do so. A shoulder injury forced him out of a bout against Cory Sandhagen. Aside from that, the Russian fighter has regularly claimed he has been ducked by a long list of opponents.

It appears as though the 28-year-old's time on the sidelines is over. Underdog Management recently announced that Nurmagomedov is set to square off against their client Bekzat Almakhan.

The two bantamweights are set to clash at UFC Vegas 87 on March 2. at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.