Zubaira Tukhugov recently spilled some tea about Khabib Nurmagomedov. He shared a heartwarming tale of Khabib having his back.
So, Tukhugov and Abubakar Nurmagomedov got into hot water for jumping into the cage and throwing punches at Conor McGregor. This was during the chaos of UFC 229. They faced suspensions, but here’s where it gets interesting.
Their suspensions got cut short by 35 days. Why? Well, it just so happened to make them eligible for UFC 242 on September 7, 2019. Coincidence? I think not.
The UFC was all geared up for Khabib to defend his title against Dustin Poirier. But Khabib, being the loyal friend, refused to fight unless his teammates could join him. Talk about squad goals!
Tukhugov revealed Khabib fought tooth and nail to get him on that card. Dana White tried to push for a later fight in Moscow, but Khabib wasn’t having any of it. He was ready to walk away from a massive payday to stand by his friend.
Then, out of the blue, Hunter Campbell from the UFC rings Tukhugov. He’s in! He fought Lerone Murphy to a split draw. Drama, right?
Here’s the kicker: Tukhugov’s contract was initially terminated after the McGregor brawl. Khabib put his foot down. “Zubaira fights first, then I’ll fight,” he said. The UFC needed Khabib bad, so they caved, giving Tukhugov a new contract and a spot on the Abu Dhabi card.
Despite Dana White’s reluctance, Khabib was ready to rip up his contract for Tukhugov. “Please don’t,” Tukhugov pleaded. But Khabib’s loyalty swayed the UFC. They shuffled the deck to fit Tukhugov in.
Since then, Tukhugov’s record has been a mixed bag, going 2-2. His latest fight was a split decision loss to Elves Brener at UFC 284 in February 2023. What a journey, huh?