Khabib Nurmagomedov looked distraught after the UFC 311 co-main event.
The Russian MMA legend was on duty and guided lightweight champion Islam Makhachev to a resounding victory over Renato Moicano in the UFC 311 headliner.
In the first fight of the evening, Khabib Nurmagomedov’s other teammate, Tagir Ulanbekov, put Joe Rogan in stitches during his unanimous decision victory over Clayton Carpenter.
However, Umar Nurmagomedov failed to achieve three wins from three fights for the team.
Viral footage shows Khabib Nurmagomedov gutted
Bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili lost the first two rounds on the judges’ scorecards before using his world-class cardio to score a sensational come-from-behind victory.
In the end, “The Machine” made the unanimous decision to defend his 135-pound title for the first time since he outpointed Sean O’Malley to become champion at UFC 306 last September.
As the scorecards 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46 were being read, a fan at UFC 311 locked his camera on Khabib, who looked extremely anxious.
The 29-0 former champion held on to the Octagon fence and lowered his head as Bruce Buffer announced that his cousin had suffered the first defeat of his 19-fight MMA career.
At one point, Nurmagomedov covered his face before turning away from UFC boss Dana White in anger as he reacted to his team’s rare setback.
Khabib Nurmagomedov releases statement after UFC 311
Khabib Nurmagomedov shared some thoughts on his “rough night” at the Intuit Dome in California on Sunday.
“I had a rough night last night, as I expected,” he wrote on Instagram.
“(Islam) has once again proven that he is the best in the world right now, and I am very happy for him and for the journey he has taken in this sport, in the history of the arts mixed martial arts, very few fighters have achieved what he has achieved. Keep working my brother, this is not the limit.
“(Umar) keep your head high Junior, yesterday you showed that you are one of the best in the world, at the moment we have something to work on, we will work on the mistakes and get back to the title race.
“(Tagir) did a good job and made me very happy, but I know he can do even better, this year we have to win a few more fights. Don’t forget our target, brother.
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