Khabib welcomed journalist backstage at UFC 223 despite manager's objections

Azamat Bostanov, now a fighter manager, recalled his experience covering Khabib Nurmagomedov's UFC 223 championship victory eight years ago in Brooklyn. When Bostanov arrived, the infamous Conor McGregor-Artem Lobov incident had just occurred, and he quickly secured an interview with Lobov that became viral. Manager Ali Abdelaziz initially told Bostanov not to approach their team, but Khabib overruled him, saying Bostanov was their guy just doing his job. Bostanov described 20-30 Dagestanis gathering at the hotel ready to protect Khabib from potential provocations by McGregor's team. After the fight, despite exhaustion, Khabib took time to photograph with Bostanov wearing the championship belt and spoke with numerous people in his hotel room, including strangers making video calls. Bostanov noted Zabitt Magomedsharipov broke two fingers during warmups but fought anyway to avoid the athletic commission canceling his bout.