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Former UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev was on hand when the New York Knicks hosted the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday night at Madison Square Garden, and the home team honored the Dagestani fighter by giving him an honorary Knicks jersey with the number 322, representing the event he will headline this weekend at the same venue.
Makhachev posed with Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns, who presented him the jersey
and the photo of Islam and KAT was posted online. On one of the posts, Makhachev's mentor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, did not approve of his prized fighter's side trip with his fight just days away.
Makhachev is set to headline UFC 322 on November 15th at Madison Square Garden. The 34-year-old captured the 155-pound belt in 2022 and successfully defended it four times before vacating it last June to move up to welterweight.
On Saturday night, Makhachev will challenge 170-pound king Jack Della Maddalena, who will be making the first defense of the title he captured by outpointing Belal Muhammad last May. If Makhachev wins, he will be the 10th fighter in history to win two UFC belts in different weight classes.
With the event happening this weekend, Makhachev arrived in New York City early, taking the opportunity to watch the Knicks play at home. However, Nurmagomedov probably thinks it's a distraction and that Makhachev should be in an MMA gym to prepare for what is arguably the biggest fight of his life.
It is unclear if Islam is a Knicks fan or even a follower of the NBA. However, he plays basketball – the Dagestani version of it, where players aren't required to dribble to advance the basketball and allowed to tackle and even grapple opponents to the ground just to gain control of the ball.
Interestingly, Khabib was the first to be seen playing this kind of basketball, as a video of him playing the game was part of a documentary-style vlog about his life in Dagestan. And back in 2020, at the height of the "Last Dance Documentary," Nurmagomedov expressed his desire to meet Michael Jordan.
“I really want to meet Michael Jordan,” Khabib told Full Send podcast. “I just watch, I play basketball, but not like Michael Jordan. I just watched Michael Jordan's documentary a month ago, his documentary. Because I’m working on my documentary, it was very interesting. My friend advised me, ‘You have to watch this.’ Very impressive."
Khabib even offered American comedian Bob Menery three sheep if he could arrange a meeting with MJ. Not sure if that happened, though. On the other hand, Islam didn't just get a courtside seat to a Knicks game last Sunday; he even got his personalized jersey.
Perhaps Makhachev should return the favor to the Knicks and teach them the toughness of Dagestani basketball, as they rank in the bottom half of the league in several hustle stats, such as deflections and contested shots.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Nov 10, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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Makhachev posed with Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns, who presented him the jersey
and the photo of Islam and KAT was posted online. On one of the posts, Makhachev's mentor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, did not approve of his prized fighter's side trip with his fight just days away.
Khabib thinks it's a distraction
Makhachev is set to headline UFC 322 on November 15th at Madison Square Garden. The 34-year-old captured the 155-pound belt in 2022 and successfully defended it four times before vacating it last June to move up to welterweight.
On Saturday night, Makhachev will challenge 170-pound king Jack Della Maddalena, who will be making the first defense of the title he captured by outpointing Belal Muhammad last May. If Makhachev wins, he will be the 10th fighter in history to win two UFC belts in different weight classes.
With the event happening this weekend, Makhachev arrived in New York City early, taking the opportunity to watch the Knicks play at home. However, Nurmagomedov probably thinks it's a distraction and that Makhachev should be in an MMA gym to prepare for what is arguably the biggest fight of his life.
It is unclear if Islam is a Knicks fan or even a follower of the NBA. However, he plays basketball – the Dagestani version of it, where players aren't required to dribble to advance the basketball and allowed to tackle and even grapple opponents to the ground just to gain control of the ball.
Khabib also plays Dagestani basketball
Interestingly, Khabib was the first to be seen playing this kind of basketball, as a video of him playing the game was part of a documentary-style vlog about his life in Dagestan. And back in 2020, at the height of the "Last Dance Documentary," Nurmagomedov expressed his desire to meet Michael Jordan.
“I really want to meet Michael Jordan,” Khabib told Full Send podcast. “I just watch, I play basketball, but not like Michael Jordan. I just watched Michael Jordan's documentary a month ago, his documentary. Because I’m working on my documentary, it was very interesting. My friend advised me, ‘You have to watch this.’ Very impressive."
Khabib even offered American comedian Bob Menery three sheep if he could arrange a meeting with MJ. Not sure if that happened, though. On the other hand, Islam didn't just get a courtside seat to a Knicks game last Sunday; he even got his personalized jersey.
Perhaps Makhachev should return the favor to the Knicks and teach them the toughness of Dagestani basketball, as they rank in the bottom half of the league in several hustle stats, such as deflections and contested shots.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Nov 10, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Continue reading...
