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

Eight years ago at UFC 223 in Brooklyn, Russian journalist Azamat Bostanov was initially told by Ali Abdel-Aziz not to approach Khabib Nurmagomedov's team after Bostanov had interviewed Artem Lobov following the infamous bus incident. However, Khabib personally overruled his manager, putting his arm around Bostanov and telling Abdel-Aziz "This is our guy, everything is fine, he's just doing his work." Bostanov recalls 20-30 Dagestanis gathering at the hotel entrance when word spread that Conor McGregor's team might arrive, ready to prevent any provocations against Khabib. After Khabib won the lightweight title by defeating Al Iaquinta, he remained gracious despite exhaustion, taking photos with fans and even calling out to Bostanov from his vehicle days later to offer him a ride. The journalist also revealed that Zabit Magomedsharipov broke two fingers during warmups before his fight on that card but didn't report it to avoid being pulled from the bout.