Islam Makhachev backs Umar Nurmagomedov to still become champion in reaction to UFC Shanghai defeat

Despite now being considered one of the greatest of all time, Makhachev knows what it’s like to lose inside the Octagon .

Nurmagomedov was previously beaten by Merab Dvalishvili when challenging for the bantamweight title at the start of 2025.

Just when it looked like he was on the verge of working his way back to this position, the Russian contender suffered his second setback.