Khabib Nurmagomedov needs nothing however one of the best for Arman Tsarukyan.
Hours away from his first shot at UFC gold, Tsarukyan was pressured to bow out of Saturday’s headliner towards Islam Makhachev in Los Angeles as a consequence of an injured again. The information got here as a shock to fighters and followers alike, however happily, the UFC was in a position to pluck one other top-10 fighter from the cardboard and insert them into the primary occasion with relative ease.
That man being none aside from rising light-weight star Renato Moicano.
Whereas backstage at Friday’s ceremonial weigh-ins in Inglewood, Makhachev’s coach and mentor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, provided his tackle the sudden shake-up and shared some phrases of encouragement to Tsarukyan, recalling an analogous incident he himself endured throughout his personal race to the light-weight title.
“Actually, I knew this yesterday, at 1 A.M. earlier than I sleep. Actually, this may occur with anyone. Should you guys bear in mind [in] 2017, March, it occurred with me too. Then after that, I’m going to hospital, make surgical procedure, come again and I inform UFC, ‘It was my mistake, give me different finest man. I’m going to beat this man and deserve my title shot.’ It was the identical factor with me. I simply wish to want him all one of the best. He’s younger. He’s robust. He can come again. He [has] to outlive this case and are available again,” (h/t Sportskeeda).
Khabib Refuses to underestimate ‘cash’ moicano
Unsurprisingly, Makhachev is a large -1100 favourite to return out on prime towards Moicano contained in the Intuit Dome. Regardless of these huge odds, ‘The Eagle’ is aware of that counting out somebody as harmful and skilled as ‘Cash’ can be a large mistake.
“Now, new foremost occasion. I believe with Moicano, he has very large expertise within the UFC… 10, 11 years in UFC. He [has four-fight] win streak, and he’s on his prime. It’s an excellent combat. After all, it’s not like Arman and Islam, but it surely’s nonetheless very aggressive combat, and we [are] not going to underestimate this man.”
Moicano goes into his first UFC title alternative driving a four-fight win streak and a winner in six of his final seven, together with Ws towards notable names like Drew Dober, Jalin Turner, and Benoit Saint-Denis.
