Khabib Nurmagomedov sends message to Islam Makhachev with month remaining before Dustin Poirier fight

Islam Makhachev received a message from UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov ahead of his fight against Dustin Poirier.

Despite not being an official part of the Nurmagomedov clan, Makhachev is as close to the family as possible without a direct blood relationship. He is a childhood friend of retired Khabib Nurmagomedov and trained under his late father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.

In the post-fight conference of UFC 300, UFC CEO Dana White revealed that Makhachev would defend his lightweight belt against Poirier. The two will lock horns on June 1 in the main event of UFC 302. The pay-per-view event will take place in Newark, New Jersey.

Nurmagomedov recently shared a post on Instagram, showing his support for Makhachev, writing:

''33 days before the fight. Lets go my Brother @islam_makhachev #ufc302 #LightweightChamp''

Check out the post below:

This all transpired after Arman Tsarukyan defeated Charles Oliveira via split decision at UFC 300 for his fourth straight win. Shortly after getting his hand raised, Tsarukyan was offered a shot at the lightweight title, but he declined.

Poirier eventually got the call and agreed to fight Makhachev. After a second-round knockout victory over Benoit Saint-Danis at UFC 299 on March 9, 'The Diamond' is set to fight for the lightweight title.

In a recent interview with TMZ Sports, Makhachev discussed his latest title challenger:

"Dustin, he's already a legend. He have more than everybody experience in this sport, but his problem is his style. Just one problem this guy have. His weak point is wrestling and grappling. I have the key for the easy fight. I think if I follow the plan, I can beat him easy."

Check out Islam Makhachev's comments below (0:33):

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What makes Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov different in their mixed martial arts careers?

After his historic run, Khabib Nurmagomedov finished 29-0 overall and undefeated, with 13 victories in the UFC. Along the road, he won the UFC lightweight championship and defeated some of the biggest names in the sport, including Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje, and Conor McGregor.

But Islam Makhachev, currently at the pinnacle of his abilities, is still writing his own story. At the moment, he is the 155-pound division champion with a 25-1 professional record. Unlike Nurmagomedov, he has experienced defeat in the octagon, losing to Adriano Martins in 2015.

Makhachev has made significant progress since then, defeating pound-for-pound greats Charles Oliveira and Alexander Volkanovski. He will face Poirier at UFC 302.