Nurmagomedov has spoken on the recent weight-cut issues for UFC sensation Khamzat Chimaev

Retired UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov has suggested that surging contender Khamzat Chimaev would be wise to surround himself with more Muslim members of his team if he wishes to avoid similar situations such as those which took place at UFC 279 in Las Vegas last week.

The Chechen-born Chimaev has become one of the UFC's biggest stars since he debuted with the organization in the summer of 2020, having now defeated all six of his opponents in the Octagon with just one – Gilbert Burns – making it as far as the final bell. 

However, the surging welterweight contender was met with controversy for the first time in his young UFC career not just once but twice last week, when he first became involved in a backstage brawl which forced the cancellation of the pre-fight press conference and again when he dramatically missed weight for the scheduled main event fight against Nate Diaz by a whopping 7.5lbs. 

And Khabib, who is undertaking a speaking tour in the United Kingdom to help raise funds for victims of the Pakistan flood crisis, says that Chimaev would be best served in his future career by depending on the assistance of devout Muslims.

Khabib Nurmagomedov at the Birmingham Human Appeal event talking about Khamzat Chimaev and giving us an important reminder on surrounding yourself with the right people. pic.twitter.com/eDrjx1F4SU

— Borz (@Borz4562) September 11, 2022

“If you are a Muslim, you should have good people around you,” Khabib said.

“Muslims who can say ‘Hey, don’t do this.’ I was watching the weigh-in of Khamzat Chimaev. I followed what was happening with his weight and looking at his team.

“There are no Muslims around him, and this is very bad. Because if you are a Muslim, you need good, strong people around you that will say ‘Don't do this. Come back, do this.'”

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Khabib is, of course, himself a devout Muslim and closely associated himself with people who share his religious beliefs throughout his career, such as upcoming UFC lightweight title challenger Islam Makhachev.

Chimaev, meanwhile, is most recently best known for his training partnership with English fighter Darren Till.

“When you become famous and rich, you become strong, and there are no people who will give advice or you do not listen in this kind of situation, then something will happen,” Khabib added.

“You need good people, even if you don’t like it, you need this.”