Khabib Nurmagomedov: "Party time" - Fans speculate after Hunter Campbell links up with Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev’s manager

MMA fans have recently been speculating on social media, after an image was posted of UFC's Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell linking up with Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev's manager, Rizvan Magomedov.

Nurmagomedov called time on his career back in 2020, and has since spent a majority of his time coaching and cornering a number of fighters in his family. 'The Eagle' is also still regularly spotted on UFC programming, having cornered Makhachev throughout his supremacy at the top of the lightweight division.

The 155-pound champ is currently without an opponent, last time out defending his title on short notice against Renato Moicano at UFC 311 back in January. It is now believed Makhachev is planning on returning to action later this year, with reports suggesting it will either be during International Fight Week or an event in October.

While no opponent has been confirmed, it is believed Ilia Topuria is being touted to face Makhachev, as he relinquished the featherweight belt earlier this year to move up to lightweight.

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Despite no official confirmation yet about the fight by the promotion, the picture of Hunter Campbell with Nurmagomedov and Makhachev's manager has gotten fans speculating about potential fight news. One of them wrote:

"Party time"

Another fan wrote:

"Zubaira vs Ilia in the works🔥🔥🔥"

One fan said:

"F*ck it, Islam vs Khamzat."

Another added:

"Islam needs to stop ducking Topuria"

One fan tweeted:

"Islam vs Justin in Abu Dhabi inshallah"

Check out more fan reactions below:

Dustin Poirier weighs in on Islam Makhachev's welterweight plans

Dustin Poirier recently shared his thoughts on Islam Makhachev's plans to step up a division and challenge for the welterweight title.

Prior to his title defense against Renato Moicano back in January, Makhachev expressed his interest in becoming a double champ, with his eyes firmly fixed on the 170-pound strap.

'The Diamond', who recently appeared on The Ariel Helwani Show, was asked for his opinion on Makhachev's potential run at welterweight. According to Poirier, he wouldn't be surprised to see the Russian become the champ. He explained:

"[Islam Makhchev is] big. He's a good sized guy and his skill set is the highest level to compete with anybody. It's not like he's going to be hugely undersized at 170, there's gonna be some guys who are bigger than him, for sure. But, he's strong and solid. So, I think he'll fit in. He'll probably be the champ there."

Check out Dustin Poirier's comments on Islam Makhachev below:

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Will began his tenure at Sportskeeda as an MMA writer over 2 years ago and has penned over 1800 pieces so far, including 35+ exclusives, which have garnered close to 5 million views.

Will graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Media and Communications from Bournemouth University, where he was also a valued member of their communications team. His degree heavily focused on social media and writing, which eventually led him toward sports writing.

He turned into an MMA fan after witnessing Conor McGregor’s 13-second TKO win over Jose Aldo at UFC 194 in 2015. The Irishman sits at the top of his list of top-five MMA fighters of all time, which also includes world champions like Demetrious Johnson, Michael Bisping, Max Holloway, and Georges St-Pierre.

Will especially enjoys working on event days and feels his contribution to Sportskeeda’s UFC 300 coverage was one of the high points of his time with the organization. He ensures his articles are accurate by going through multiple sources, which also helps his writing be as informative as possible.

His interests away from work include football, gaming, live streaming, and listening to music.

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Edited by Tejas Rathi