Khabib is widely regarded as one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time. "The Eagle" defended the UFC lightweight title thrice before retiring as the undefeated champion in 2020, following the death of his father and coach, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov. Khabib's teammates, Umar, Usman Nurmagomedov, Islam Makhachev and others were all originally honed by Abdulmanap. Khabib has taken leadership of the team following his retirement alongside American Kickboxing Academy head coach Javier Mendez.
The night's main event saw the promotion's vacant featherweight title on the line, as Niko Samsonide of Georgia took on Austria's Mago Machaev. With challengers like Gjoni Palokaj already lining up, whoever came away with the undisputed title would be looking at a busy 2026. Heavyweight action, meanwhile, saw former title challenger Lazar Todev taking on UFC vet Josh Parisian.
Back in action for ONE Friday Fights 140 at the Lumpinee Stadium, ONE Championship had a four discipline showcase for fights fans in Thailand, and up early abroad. Submission grappling, kickboxing, MMA, and Muay Thai were in the docket at the event, headlined by Thailand's Kongchai Chanaidonmueang and Myanmar's Thway Lin Htet, throwing down in a strawweight Muay Thai contest. A $100,000 U.S. ONE Championship contract was on the line for one of the night's winnres.
"We were pretty surprised by the timing of the fight, but knowing it's next to his country made it clearer why they wanted him to fight there," BSD said during the card's media day this week. "I had already in my mind put the switch back on, because BSD and Dan Hooker, you need no promotion. It's gonna be a scrap."
Depending on who is chosen next to challenge Makhachev for the belt, practically any combination among the top six in the division would make sense. In an interview with Sherdog.com shortly after his victory over Leon Edwards at UFC 322, on the same night that Makhachev took the belt from Madalena and Michael Morales defeated Sean Brady, Carlos Prates revealed that he believed the UFC would put him next against Maddalena next.
Kamaru Usman has never shared the mat with Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev despite being close friends with them. Usman is currently rallying for a welterweight title fight against Makhachev. Many believe the matchup is being plotted by their common manager, Ali Abdelaziz. Courtesy of Abdelaziz, Usman is a close friend of Makhachev and his mentor, Nurmagomedov. However, "The Nigerian Nightmare" surprisingly revealed that he never had the opportunity of training with either Makhachev or Nurmagomedov.
The event, it seemed, was doomed almost from the outset. Whether it was heavyweight Mark Hunt's withdrawal from the main event due to "medical concerns" or Joanne Calderwood's scratching because of an "undisclosed injury", a doping violation for The Ultimate Fighter Series: Redemption winner Jesse Taylor, and then four separate weight misses on the card's eve, UFC Fight Night Sydney had more than its fair share of missteps.
