MMA journalist and current fighter manager Azamat Bostanov shared memories from UFC 223 in Brooklyn eight years ago when Khabib Nurmagomedov won the lightweight title. Bostanov recalled how manager Ali Abdelaziz initially told him to stay away from their team after he interviewed Artem Lobov following the bus incident, but Khabib intervened saying he was just doing his job. He described a crowd of 20-30 Dagestanis gathering at the hotel to protect Khabib from potential provocations from Conor McGregor's team. After the fight, despite being exhausted, Khabib made time to photograph with fans, let them wear his belt, and speak with supporters he didn't know who were calling relatives on video. Bostanov also noted that Zabit Magomedsharipov broke two fingers during warm-ups before his fight that night but kept it secret to avoid being pulled from the card.
