Manager and journalist Azamat Bostanov shared memories from UFC 223 eight years ago when Khabib Nurmagomedov won the lightweight championship. After Bostanov had interviewed Artem Lobov following the infamous confrontation with Khabib, manager Ali Abdelaziz told him not to approach their team. However, Khabib overruled Abdelaziz, putting his arm around Bostanov and saying he was just doing his job. Bostanov recalled 20-30 Dagestanis gathering at the hotel entrance in case Conor McGregor's team arrived, and noted that Zabit broke two fingers during warmups but competed anyway without telling the commission. After the event, despite being exhausted, Khabib spent time with fans, took photos, and spoke with people via video calls from strangers' phones in his hotel room.
Russian journalist and manager Azamat Bostanov has shared a firsthand account of the atmosphere surrounding UFC 223, the April 2018 event at which Khabib Nurmagomedov captured the lightweight championship.
Bostanov recalled that after he interviewed Artem Lobov in the wake of the now-infamous bus confrontation involving Conor McGregor's camp, manager Ali Abdelaziz directly told him not to approach Khabib's team. Khabib, however, stepped in and overruled his manager, placing his arm around the journalist and telling Abdelaziz that Bostanov was simply doing his job.
Khabib, now 37, retired with a perfect 29-0 record and remains one of the most decorated fighters in UFC history. The Russian grappling specialist averaged 5.32 takedowns per 15 minutes across his career, a figure that underlines why he was so dominant at 155 pounds.
Lobov, 39, fighting out of SBG Ireland under the nickname The Russian Hammer, held a record of 13-15-1 at the time of those events and had been at the center of the confrontation that helped trigger one of the sport's most chaotic weeks.
Bostanov also recounted that Zabit Magomedsharipov, the six-foot-one Russian featherweight who carried an 18-1 career record and a 73-inch reach, broke two fingers during his warmups at the event but competed without disclosing the injury to the athletic commission. Despite that, Zabit went ahead and performed, a detail Bostanov described from memory.
Why it matters
- The recollection adds texture to one of the most turbulent weeks in UFC history, surrounding the McGregor bus attack and the subsequent scramble to fill the lightweight title fight.
- Khabib's decision to overrule Abdelaziz illustrates the dynamic between the champion and his management at that time.
- Bostanov's account of 20 to 30 Dagestanis gathering at the hotel entrance in case McGregor's team arrived paints a picture of how tense the environment was beyond the official events.
