Khabib Nurmagomedov’s 'Relieved' Reaction After Just Making Weight For UFC 254 Clash Against Justin Gaethje

Khabib Nurmagomedov looked a 'relieved' man after he made weight for his highly anticipated title defence against fellow UFC star Justin Gaethje.

The 'Eagle,' 32, hasn't fought inside the octagon since his triumphant victory over Dustin Poirier at UFC 242 last September.

Khabib was scheduled to defend his lightweight championship against Tony Ferguson in April, but their eagerly awaited fight fell through for the fifth time due to the coronavirus pandemic.

And question marks were raised over the undefeated MMA Russian star's future following the tragic passing of his father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, in July.

Khabib is now hoping to extend his unblemished MMA record to 29-0 when he steps into the octagon against Gaethje at UFC 254 on Saturday.

The lightweight champ stripped down and took to the scales for the weigh-in during a nervy few seconds.

Khabib then breathed a sigh of relief as he came in at the 155-pound mark, but many fans expressed their concerns over how he looked at the weigh-in.

Gaethje, who stunned the MMA world when he defeated Ferguson at UFC 249 in May, also had no problem in making weight for the championship bout.

Michael Chandler, who was signed by the UFC in September, will serve as a back-up option for the Khabib vs Gaethje clash on 'Fight Island.'

And the 34-year-old former three-time Bellator lightweight champ also took to the scales and made weight.

MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz, who represents both Khabib and Gaethje, took to Twitter to praise both fighters ahead of their championship fight.

The 42-year-old tweeted: "Two great champions two great human beings two professionals. They promoted the fight by respecting each other.

"At one point i [sic] was a little sad because one guy have to lose and Justin told me if it was my brother I would be fighting you should be happy we're both fighting for our dream you should not be sad.

"He lifted me up I love both guys they have great families and I truly believe these guys will fight for Honor tomorrow.

"It's part of the game somebody will win and someone will lose but it's part of the game but I know they both respect each other God is in control."

Topics: Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje, UFC News, MMA News, UFC, eagle, MMA

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz is a journalist for SPORTbible. He studied for a B.A. in History at the University of York and followed it up with an M.A. in Multimedia Journalism at MMU. Before he started writing about sports, he spent over four years in the gaming press. He has worked for several publications, including Hardcore Gamer, LADbible and the Manchester Evening News. Follow him on Twitter to find out what he is working on next. Got a story tip for Adnan? Email him: [email protected]

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