Nurmagomedov welcomed journalist despite manager's objections at UFC 223

Eight years ago, when Khabib Nurmagomedov won the UFC lightweight championship at UFC 223 in Brooklyn, journalist Azamat Bostanov recalls how manager Ali Abdel-Aziz initially told him to stay away from the team after Bostanov had interviewed Artem Lobov following the bus incident. However, Nurmagomedov intervened, putting his arm around Bostanov and telling Abdel-Aziz, "This is our guy, he's just doing his job." Bostanov also remembers 20-30 Dagestanis gathering at the hotel entrance to protect Nurmagomedov from potential provocations from Conor McGregor's team. After the fight, despite being exhausted, Nurmagomedov took time to thank supporters, take photos, and talk to everyone who wanted to congratulate him, even people he didn't know who had gathered in his hotel room.