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UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has reacted to his teammate Islam Makhachev pulling out of this weekend's Vegas 14 headliner against Rafael dos Anjos due to an undisclosed injury.
Following the confirmation of Islam Makhachev pulling out of the event, Nurmagomedov took to Instagram to share a video of him and Islam during a press conference ahead of UFC 242: Khabib vs. Poirier. Along with the video, Khabib sent a consoling message to Islam, telling the latter that injuries are a part of this sport and that it requires a great deal of patience to become a champion.
Nurmagomedov further stated, quoting Prophet Muhammad, that what happened to Islam Makhachev was really unfortunate, but one cannot be victorious without patience, one can't discover new things without losing out on others, and lastly, that there is no relief without difficulty.
Injuries are part of this game, to become a champion you need to go through a lot, patience and a good mood for you Brother @islam_makhachev - The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon Him) said: "Know that what has passed should not have happened to you, and what happened to you should not have passed you. And know that there is no victory without patience, finds without loss, relief without difficulty."
Will Islam Makhachev's recent injury hamper the push for his title shot?
Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov are teammates as well as close friends. In recent years, both Khabib and his late father Abdulmanap had predicted that Makhachev would eventually become a lightweight champion in the UFC, in the post-Khabib era.
However, Makhachev's championship dreams have been dealt a heavy blow for now as he will miss what would've been his first UFC headliner. Makhachev is 18-1 in his professional career and is currently on an impressive six-fight winning streak inside the Octagon. A win against dos Anjos may have propelled Islam Makhachev to contender status in the 155lbs division.
This is the second time that a matchup between Islam Makhachev and Rafael dos Anjos has been canceled due to unforeseen circumstances. Makhachev and dos Anjos were set to fight on October 24 at the UFC Fight Island in Abu Dhabi, but the latter was forced off the card after testing positive for COVID-19.
