Journalist recalls Khabib's kindness after UFC 223 title win despite tensions

Azamat Bostanov, now an MMA manager, recounted his experience covering Khabib Nurmagomedov's first UFC title win at UFC 223 in Brooklyn eight years ago. After Bostanov interviewed Artem Lobov following the infamous pre-fight confrontation with Khabib, manager Ali Abdelaziz told him to stay away from their team. However, Khabib overruled this, putting his arm around Bostanov and telling Abdelaziz "This is our guy, he's just doing his job." Bostanov described how 20-30 Dagestanis gathered at the hotel to protect Khabib from potential provocations by Conor McGregor's team. After the victory, despite being exhausted, Khabib took time to photograph with fans, draped his championship belt over Bostanov's shoulder, and patiently spoke with numerous people in his hotel room, many of whom he didn't know. The journalist emphasized that even years later, Khabib remained the same approachable person, once even stopping his vehicle to greet Bostanov on a Moscow street.