Ali Abdel-Aziz initially banned journalist but Khabib intervened at UFC 223

Azamat Bostanov, now a fighter manager, recalls his experience as a Russian journalist at UFC 223 in Brooklyn eight years ago when Khabib Nurmagomedov won the UFC title. Bostanov had interviewed Artem Lobov after the famous confrontation with Khabib, which initially angered manager Ali Abdel-Aziz who told him not to approach their team. However, Khabib intervened, putting his arm around Bostanov and telling Abdel-Aziz that he was their guy just doing his job. Bostanov also recalls 20-30 Dagestanis gathering at the hotel entrance ready to prevent any provocations from Conor McGregor's team, and Zabits fighting with two broken fingers that he hid from the athletic commission. After the event, despite being exhausted, Khabib took photos with everyone, talked to strangers via video calls, and remained gracious and accessible to all fans present.