On Tuesday. November 7 the new UFC rankings were announced and UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev is the new No. 1 ranked men's pound-for-pound fighter bumping Jon Jones out of the position he previously held.
After the announcement, former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov posted a gushing tribute to his friend, family and teammate.
"It's an unprecedented case when two fighters, raised from childhood by the same coach, in the same city, in the same gym, trained side-by-side for a long time - become singleweight champions in the best league in the world @ufc," Nurmagomedov wrote in Russian (translated by Instagram). "And also both became the best fighters regardless of the weight category of their time. And believe me it's not a full stop, @islam_makhachev continues to make history."
Khabib Nurmagomedov praises Islam Makhachev as he 'continues to make history'
Their story is so special 🙌🏽
— 𝕽𝖆𝖎𝖓𝖒𝖆𝖐𝖊𝖗❂ (@Sa_Gwang) November 7, 2023
And Islam is not done yet making history... pic.twitter.com/v6eUdI7YCh
The friendship between the two Dagestani fighters has been predominant in their story and the emotion seen from Nurmagomedov when Makhachev won the title was undeniable.
Nurmagomedov retired from the sport and from the public eye and no longer attends UFC events alongside Makhachev but he clearly continues to support him on social media.