Khabib Nurmagomedov was rooting for his fellow countryman in Saturday’s UFC essential event.
Movsar Evloev beat Lerone Murphy at UFC London to further stake his claim for a primary shot on the featherweight gold.
The end in England’s capital moved Evloev to a 20-0 skilled record and prolonged his winning streak within the UFC’s 145-pound division to nine.
While the scoring continues to divide opinion, Nurmagomedov seemingly had little doubt about who deserved to have their hand raised at The O2 arena.
- LATEST NEWS: Alexander Volkanovski reacts to Movsar Evloev likely securing a title shot together with his UFC London win
Khabib Nurmagomedov labels Movsar Evloev ‘the perfect’ after his win over Lerone Murphy
Evloev desires to challenge Alexander Volkanovski in pursuit of becoming the most recent UFC champion to return out of Russia.
Probably the most outstanding is the legendary Nurmagomedov, who ruled the roost at lightweight for 3 successful defenses before retiring with an ideal 29-0 record.
After seeing his compatriot move to inside 10 wins of usurping that unrivaled streak, ‘The Eagle’ had some high praise for Evloev in a post on his Instagram Stories.
“The very best,” Nurmagomedov wrote in Russian, before congratulating Evloev on his twentieth straight win.
The previous lightweight king backed Evloev for a title shot in 2025, even accusing the UFC of ‘dragging its feet’ with Russian fighters amid the promotion’s hesitancy.
- LATEST NEWS: Michael ‘Venom’ Page reacts to Dana White walking out the world during his UFC London win
Many others also consider that the Russian featherweight’s title shot is long overdue. Before taking Murphy’s ‘0’, Evloev beat Aljamain Sterling, Arnold Allen, Diego Lopes, and Dan Ige.
Volkanovski has long desired to face Evloev, relishing the possibility to beat an opponent who has yet to taste defeat contained in the cage.
Whether or not the UFC will finally grant him that wish after Saturday’s end in London stays to be seen, as Jean Silva continues to push for his opportunity as a substitute.