Khabib Nurmagomedov Doesn’t Want UFC Title To Change Him

This past weekend (April 7, 2018), Khabib Nurmagomedov scored a one-sided decision victory over Al Iaquinta in the main event of UFC 223 from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York to become the promotion’s undisputed 155-pound champion.

And while it’s been a long road to the title for the undefeated Dagestani fighter, he admitted that he’s a bit worried about the belt, as he doesn’t want it to change him:

“I’m a little bit worried about this belt,” Khabib said during a post-fight media scrum (transcript via MMAjunkie). “Sometimes you think, ‘You’re UFC champion (and) a lot of stuff.’ But I’m a little bit scared about this. I don’t want to change. I want to be same Khabib, like, before belt and after the belt. This is not about me. This is about all people around me.”

Originally, Nurmagomedov was set to take on Tony Ferguson at UFC 223, but Ferguson was forced to withdraw just a week prior to the event after suffering a freak knee injury. Then, the UFC called on featherweight champion Max Holloway to step up on short notice, but Holloway was deemed medically unfit to fight on the day of weigh-ins by the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC), which led to Iaquinta accepting the fight.

Now, it’s currently unclear who Nurmagomedov will take on next, but he said that he’s hoping to defend his title by the end of the year:

“With the belt comes a lot of attention, a lot of money – crazy stuff, a lot of crazy stuff,” he said. “I don’t want this belt to change me. I want to stay focused. Next month is Ramadan coming. After Ramadan, I want to begin training, come back this year and defend this title.”