Khamzat Chimaev’s coach has laid out why a battle with Islam Makhachev is about greater than rankings, weight lessons, or advertising. In feedback tied to MMA Right this moment, Chimaev’s longtime coach, Murad Nurmagomedov Nascimento, framed the matchup as unlikely due to the extent of respect between the 2 fighters.
Khamzat Chimaev vs. Islam Makhachev
Nascimento defined that Chimaev and Makhachev know one another and respect each other. He famous that this separation alone makes a unification or superfight extra sophisticated than a easy reserving. He additionally pointed to faith and culture, saying he lives in a Muslim‑majority setting and understands how public confrontations may be interpreted inside their communities.
“They respect one another, they know one another, however they don’t prepare collectively. It additionally entails faith, which is essential of their tradition. I don’t assume it will really occur. It could be simpler for Khamzat to maneuver up than to go down.”
On the identical level, Nascimento mentioned he doesn’t assume a Chimaev–Makhachev battle “would really occur,” particularly at this stage, and that it will be simpler for Chimaev to maneuver up in weight than to drop down to satisfy Makhachev at welterweight or light-weight. These feedback line up with what Makhachev’s supervisor, Ali Abdelaziz, has additionally prompt: that the matchup “is senseless” and “won’t ever occur,” partially due to the symbolism it will carry.
Makhachev is from Dagestan; Chimaev is from Chechnya, and the 2 republics share a historical past that’s usually described as tense and politically delicate. Due to that background, a excessive‑profile battle between them may be seen as greater than a sporting contest.
That notion is one purpose Makhachev has dealt with the subject fastidiously. Requested instantly about dealing with Chimaev, he has mentioned he doesn’t wish to “open the door to any form of battle between our folks,” alluding to the danger of turning a cage matchup right into a wider social difficulty. He has additionally referred to Chimaev as a brother within the Muslim group, which reinforces the concept their relationship is framed by shared religion as a lot as by elite‑stage rivalry.
On the sensible aspect, UFC‑stage discussions about the place the 2 would meet hold operating into physique‑kind questions. Chimaev has already moved as much as middleweight, the place he captured the 185‑pound title with a dominant win over Dricus du Plessis at UFC 319. His dimension and power at that stage have led coaches and analysts to counsel that asking him to chop again to 170 could be a worse match than letting him keep at 185 and even climb greater.
Makhachev, in the meantime, has already shifted to welterweight and is constructing his subsequent path there, as a substitute of concentrating on a single symbolic superfight. Between the cultural layer, the teaching and administration skepticism, and the physique mismatch, it merely appears unrealistic.
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