Khabib Nurmagomedov: 'I Know I Am The Champion Until This Day, Before Islam Makhachev Became Champion'
Islam has been putting sensation since making his UFC debut and this got lightened up at UFC 280. ## Makhachev faced Charles Oliveira for the vacant UFC Lightweight Championship at UFC 280 on October 22, 2022. Makhachev won the bout and the title in the second round via arm-triangle choke after knocking down Oliveira with a punch. With this win, he received the Performance of the Night bonus. ## Khabib Nurmagomedov put in a request for the UFC after Islam Makhachev won the lightweight title at UFC 280. ## “I told Dana, ‘I have to give him this belt, because I didn’t lose the belt,’ because I know I am the champion until this day, before Islam became champion,†Nurmagomedov told ESPN.com after Makhachev’s impressive submission win in Saturday’s pay-per-view headliner in Abu Dhabi. ## “They said, ‘No problem. Take it. This is yours. This is Dagestani belt.’ They gave it to me, I put it on.†## To stay updated with all the latest combat sports news, add Sacnilk.com to your Google News feeds and follow us on Twitter.