Khabib Nurmagomedov’s protégé has his first UFC welterweight title defense on the calendar.
After Islam Makhachev dominated Jack Della Maddalena last November to become the eleventh two-division champion in UFC history, he will look to cement his reign at 170 pounds in 2026.
To do so, Makhachev must defeat Ian Machado Garry, whom the Dagestani will headline UFC 330 alongside in Philadelphia on August 15.
That will mark the latest high-profile main event for Makhachev, and ‘The Eagle’ sees it as another chance for “perfection” from his friend and student.
LATEST NEWS: Jon Jones sends a message to UFC stars wanting to take his GOAT status after Alex Pereira failed
Khabib Nurmagomedov reacts to Islam Makhachev vs Ian Machado Garry at UFC 330
Some think Makhachev surpassed Nurmagomedov’s legacy after moving past his total of UFC lightweight title defenses.
He then did something ‘The Eagle’ never attempted by moving up to a new weight class and becoming a double champion.
But Nurmagomedov does not want his friend to stop there.
The legendary former lightweight champion is rooting for Makhachev to continue pursuing further greatness on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage.
And he posted a motivational message for his protégé on his Instagram Stories soon after Dana White announced the UFC 330 main event against Garry.
“@islam_makhachev There is no limit to perfection,” Nurmagomedov wrote.
“The journey continues (fist emoji),” he added.
LATEST NEWS: Josh Hokit slams ‘cry baby’ Alex Pereira for excuses over his loss to Ciryl Gane at UFC Freedom 250
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Makhachev is on a 16-fight winning run inside the Octagon that includes wins over big names like Arman Tsarukyan, Alexander Volkanovski, Charles Oliveira and Dustin Poirier.
The Dagestani will now look to add the confident Garry to his list of victims and a successful welterweight title defense to his illustrious UFC résumé.
And he will have Nurmagomedov helping guide him from the corner at Philadelphia’s Xfinity Mobile Arena later this summer.
2026-06-19 01:00:00
