Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev’s brotherhood beyond the MMA world

Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev have spent so much of their lives together that calling them simply teammates or training partners does not really explain their relationship. The two fighters grew up around the same people, went to school together, trained under Khabib’s father Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov and eventually reached the highest level of mixed martial arts together. That long history is why Khabib has always spoken about Makhachev in a very personal way, and one quote from the former UFC champion explains it better than almost anything else. “Our relationship is much, much different.