Azamat Bostanov, now an MMA manager, recalls covering Khabib Nurmagomedov's UFC 223 title win eight years ago in Brooklyn. Bostanov had interviewed Artem Lobov after the infamous confrontation with Khabib, which led manager Ali Abdelaziz to emotionally tell him to stay away from their team. However, Khabib intervened, putting his arm around Bostanov and telling Abdelaziz, "This is our guy, he's just doing his job." Bostanov also recalls 20-30 Dagestanis gathering at the hotel to protect Khabib from potential Conor McGregor provocations, and Zabit Magomedsharipov secretly fighting with two broken fingers on the same card. After the event, despite being exhausted, Khabib spent time with a massive crowd of supporters, taking photos and video calls with strangers in his hotel room.
