Khabib Nurmagomedov Warned Islam Makhachev About White House Fight

In a revealing interview with Red Corner MMA, Makhachev disclosed that his mentor and friend is apprehensive about him competing at the White House event.

Watch the full interview here:

The event, planned for the White House lawn as part of America's 250th-anniversary celebrations and coinciding with President Donald Trump's birthday. 

Khabib's Reasoning

Khabib's hesitation stems from a desire for meticulous preparation, and he cautioned Islam on the unknown variables that come with such a unique event. This highly detailed and controlled game planning is a large part of their team's success. 

Makhachev revealed, "Sometimes Khabib says he doesn’t want me to fight in Abu Dhabi because of too many factors of distraction, and probably the White House event will be no different." 

Islam elaborated on Nurmagomedov’s mindset, noting, "The first-ever tournament there, we don’t know what it’s going to be like. We are on the level where everything should be planned in good time.”

Lessons Learned From Past Mistakes

The welterweight champion pointed to a past experience as a cautionary tale, referencing his first title defense against Alexander Volkanovski in Perth, Australia, in 2023. 

That fight, which he still ended up winning, was much tougher than their subsequent rematch as it was complicated by logistical challenges, such as an abnormal stipulation to weigh in 24 hours before the fight due to Australia’s differing weigh-in and event times. 

"Say, my fight in Australia, there were a lot of things we had to take care of during the event. A lot of issues we had to deal with for the first time. That’s why the fight turned out to be so hard," Makhachev recounted. "Maybe that’s the reason Khabib said it. We don’t know what it’s going to look like, and he doesn’t want us to be there".

This is not the only strategic adjustment from Team Khabib. 

Makhachev also revealed that, following an event where both he and his teammate Umar Nurmagomedov fought, the team decided to avoid having two major fights on the same card to prevent divided focus and added stress.

“One fought just before the other,” he recalled. “When I was in the locker room, I was watching Umar’s fight instead of warming up myself, even more so as it was such a nervous and hard fight.”

For his first welterweight title defense, Islam has publicly set his sights on former long-reigning champion Kamaru Usman, whom he views as the division's toughest challenge, rather than newer, arguably more deserving, contenders. The team’s final decision on the White House card will ultimately involve balancing his ambitions with the careful, risk-averse philosophy that has guided his career to the pinnacle of the UFC.