DUBAI: Khabib Nurmagomedov heads into the PFL’s Road to Dubai event on Feb. 7 with his team under heavy scrutiny, and he seems completely unfazed by it.
Critics and rivals have questioned whether his reputation as a coach matches his dominance as a fighter, but Nurmagomedov points to track records and titles rather than online debates.
“Honestly, I don’t care about this,” he said when asked about opponents saying he is overrated. “If people like us, they like us. If they hate us, they hate us. You’re not going to change someone’s mind if they don’t like you.”
Instead, he frames the argument in simple terms: “The numbers talk. Belts talk. Rankings talk for themselves. I don’t have to change anybody’s mind. If they like our team, they like it. If they don’t, who cares?”
For Dubai, the numbers he refers to start with the main event. Undefeated PFL lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov (20–0, 1 NC) defends his belt against 2025 Lightweight World Tournament winner Alfie Davis (20–5–1).
Usman was recently installed as the PFL’s first men’s pound‑for‑pound No. 1 in the league’s new independent ranking system, launched with Combat Registry in January.
To Khabib, that recognition, paired with Islam Makhachev holding the UFC welterweight title, is the real answer to anyone calling his legacy inflated.
“We have the best pound‑for‑pound fighter in PFL and the best pound‑for‑pound fighter in the UFC from one team,” he said. “Usman is my cousin and Islam has been with me almost 25 years. We know each other all our lives, and it makes me proud.”
Still, he is careful not to dismiss Davis. “I don’t think Alfie Davis is going to be an easy fight for us,” Khabib admitted.
“He has a unique style, very unpredictable. He has good footwork, very good spinning punches and spinning kicks. His timing on his kicks is very good.
“I watched his last five or six fights and I don’t think it’s going to be easy, and I really don’t want Usman to underestimate him.”
Davis’ tournament run included wins over high‑level opposition and showcased that creative, kick-heavy approach Khabib references.
Nurmagomedov sees Dubai as a showcase for his next generation. On the preliminary and main cards, two names stand out for him: bantamweight Renat Khavalov and lightweight Amru Magomedov.
“I really want people to pay attention,” he said. “I don’t think many people in the world can beat these guys. Maybe one, two, three can give them a hard time, but not many.”
Khavalov enters Road to Dubai at 10–0 with multiple PFL wins already, including a decision over Marcos Fernandes in Dubai in 2025 and a first‑round flying-knee TKO of Vilson Ndregjoni in 2025.
Magomedov, 9–0 with seven finishes, meets Kolton Englund (15–4) in a featured lightweight bout, after signing from the UAE Warriors where he held their lightweight belt.
Criticism and online backlash, whether from other contenders or former rivals like Tony Ferguson, have followed Khabib since he shifted to fulltime coaching. He treats it as a part of the sport’s ecosystem.
“That’s why we love this sport,” he said. “There is competition, there are a lot of different fighters and teams. People can choose whatever they want. But we are here to take everything.”
Alongside Usman–Davis, the PFL will crown a new welterweight champion when Ramazan Kuramagomedov faces Shamil Musaev.
There are further high‑stakes bouts for Jesus Pinedo and Salamat Isbulaev on the main card, and prospects like Khavalov, Magomedov, Khabib Nabiev and others on the undercard.
If his team delivers on Feb. 7, the talk around Khabib’s name the morning after is likely to be less about whether he is overrated and more about how far his fighters can push the PFL’s divisions in 2026.
