ONE Championship: Khabib Nurmagomedov claims title shot ‘not far’ for protégé Saygid Izagakhmaev after ‘great debut’
- UFC legend praises fellow Dagestani for submission win over James Nakashima at ONE: Heavy Hitters
- ‘It was a dominant performance … [he is] becoming confident and more powerful every fight,’ Khabib says
Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov liked what he saw in Saygid Izagakhmaev’s recent ONE Championship debut.
Izagakhmaev, one of Nurmagomedov’s many students out of Dagestan, Russia, made his debut at last Friday’s ONE: Heavy Hitters event in Singapore, defeating former welterweight title challenger James Nakashima by second-round submission in a lightweight contest.
The victory earned the 27-year-old a $US50,000 post-fight performance bonus, and “The Eagle” shared his thoughts on his student’s successful debut on his official Instagram account on Sunday.
“It was a dominant performance and great debut in one of the best promotions in the world,” Nurmagomedov wrote. “Also a bonus in the first fight.”
“You make me happy brother, but it pleases even more that you are becoming confident and more powerful every fight.”
Nurmagomedov also shared his belief that Izagakhmaev (20-2) – who called out MMA legends Shinya Aoki and Eddie Alvarez after the fight – is already closing in on a shot at the ONE lightweight title, currently the property of South Korea’s Ok Rae-yoon.
“Fight for the title is not far,” he wrote.
