Russian journalist and current MMA manager Azamat Bostanov recalls attending UFC 223 in Brooklyn eight years ago when Khabib Nurmagomedov won the lightweight title. After Bostanov interviewed Artem Lobov following the infamous Khabib-Lobov confrontation, manager Ali Abdelaziz told him not to approach their team. However, Khabib stepped in and said "This is our guy, he's just doing his job," allowing Bostanov access. Bostanov also remembers 20-30 Dagestanis gathering at the hotel to protect Khabib from potential Conor McGregor provocations, and that Zabit Magomedsharipov fought with two broken fingers that night without telling anyone. Despite exhaustion after winning the belt, Khabib took photos with fans and spent time with a crowded hotel room full of well-wishers, many of whom he didn't know.
Russian journalist and current MMA manager Azamat Bostanov has shared a behind-the-scenes account of the chaotic atmosphere surrounding UFC 223 in Brooklyn, recalling how Khabib Nurmagomedov personally overruled manager Ali Abdelaziz to grant him access to the team on the night Khabib captured the lightweight title.
Bostanov, who covered the event as a journalist, had interviewed Artem Lobov in the aftermath of the now-infamous confrontation between Khabib and the Irishman. That interview drew Abdelaziz's attention, and the manager told Bostanov to stay away from their camp. Khabib stepped in directly, telling Abdelaziz that Bostanov was "our guy" and was simply doing his job, clearing the way for continued access.
Lobov, a 39-year-old southpaw from Ireland who competed at featherweight with a professional record of 13-15-1, had been at the center of the episode that ignited one of the sport's most volatile weeks. Khabib, then 29, was a 29-0 Russian wrestling specialist whose relentless pressure game — averaging more than five takedowns per 15 minutes across his career — had just earned him the undisputed lightweight belt.
Bostanov's recollections extend beyond the political tension of that week. He describes a group of roughly 20 to 30 Dagestanis assembled at the hotel, there to shield Khabib from any potential provocation by Conor McGregor's camp. He also notes that Zabit Magomedsharipov, the six-foot-one featherweight contender who holds an 18-1 record and averaged nearly five significant strikes per minute throughout his UFC run, competed on the same card with two broken fingers — an injury he kept entirely to himself.
Why it matters
- The account adds texture to one of the most documented weeks in UFC history, offering a ground-level perspective rarely heard from those inside the Khabib camp.
- Khabib's intervention illustrates the dynamic between fighter and management that shaped media access around the team during his title reign.
- Magomedsharipov's undisclosed injury reframes his performance that night and speaks to the culture within the Dagestani contingent present in Brooklyn.
