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Khabib Nurmagomedov dismissed claims by his manager Ali Abdelaziz that the Russian would beat current middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.
The former undefeated UFC champion was speaking to Mainevent backstage following his Hall of Fame induction. When the interviewer asked what he thought about the claims from Abdelaziz and whether he would beat the middleweight champion, 'The Eagle' stated:
"No, because I'm not going to fight in 185, I'm not going to fight with him [Adesanya]. It's like... Right now this is his time you know. [Don't] try to take his like greatness... But going to fight and talk about 'Oh I can smash him.' I didn't say this, people talk about this, I don't agree with this."
Watch the full interview below:
Ali Abdelaziz had previously stated that Israel Adesanya wouldn't last more than three rounds against Nurmagomedov. The MMA manager also opined that the Dagestani native is now capable of beating heavyweights, light heavyweights, welterweights and lightweights.
Nurmagomedov was seemingly open to grappling with the middleweight champion but didn't agree with the disrespect towards Adesanya. The Russian also stated that he never claimed to be able to beat the Nigerian-born New Zealander and that it was other people making those claims.
Khabib Nurmagomedov hasn't fought since October 2020, when he beat Justin Gaethje via submission in the second round. That was the last time the Russian competed in professional MMA and he has shown no interest in returning since announcing his retirement after the fight.
Khabib Nurmagomedov believes Israel Adesanya will beat Jared Cannonier at UFC 276
Ahead of Israel Adesanya's clash at UFC 276 against Jared Cannonier, Khabib Nurmagomedov has given his prediction for the main event.
The Russian believes it'll be a close fight between the two middleweights, but decided to pick Adesanya. He believes that 'The Last Stylebender' is a class above Cannonier.
In a clip uploaded to the UFC's official Twitter account, the former lightweight champion said:
"I must say it's gonna be very close fight in middleweight division. Adesanya vs. Cannonier. But I think like Adesanya little bit step away, one foot away from Cannonier in class. If we're talking about class."
Watch the full clip here:
In MMA, Adesanya has only ever lost to Jan Błachowicz when trying to step up to light heavyweight and become a two-division champion. Cannonier has competed in much heavier divisions than middleweight, which might be a minor concern for Adesanya given the Błachowicz result.
