Khabib Nurmagomedov opens up and justifies his cousin's fight at UFC Baku; understand why.

Khabib coaches his cousin Umar in the UFC. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram/UFC

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Coming off a victory against Deiveson Figueiredo in January of this year, Umar Nurmagomedov already has a date to return to the most famous octagon in the world, however, with a surprising opponent. Despite having only one defeat as a professional and occupying the second position in the bantamweight ranking (up to 61,2 kg), the Russian will face a name outside the top 5: David Martinez . The announcement was made last Monday (1) by the Ultimate itself and generated a series of reactions among fans, so Khabib Nurmagomedov came to the public this Wednesday (3) to talk about the subject through social media.

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Although he didn't go into further detail, the coach didn't hide his frustrated desire to find a more well-known opponent for his cousin. Even so, he made it clear that he hopes to have better opportunities if he wins against the Mexican.

“We don’t choose our opponents. Whoever they give us, we’ll fight them, and then we’ll see where the victories take us. Of course, we wanted someone in the top 5, but they all have fights scheduled or are busy,” he stated.

Khabib reacts to Umar Nurmagomedov getting yet another opponent outside the top 5

"We don't choose opponents. Whoever they give us, we'll fight him, and after that we'll see where the wins take us.

Of course, we wanted someone in the top 5, but they're all booked/busy.” pic.twitter.com/BYeb6ZVm4C

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) June 3, 2026

Ranked eighth in the division, Martinez has never been defeated by stoppage and hasn't lost since 2021. In the UFC, he has won all three of his fights without much difficulty. In his last performance, "The Doctor" defeated Marlon Vera by unanimous decision earlier this year.

Khabib's cousin tries to secure a second shot at the belt.

Merab Dvalishvili defeated Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311 (Photo: Instagram/UFC)

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Known for his connections with Khabib and Islam Makhachev , Umar reached the top of the bantamweight division (up to 61,2 kg) by defeating names like Raoni Barcelos and Cory Sandhagen , but suffered his first professional defeat when he was beaten by Merab Dvalishvili in the co-main event of UFC 311. Since then, he has undergone surgery on his left hand and returned to the win column with two consecutive victories.

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