Khabib Nurmagomedov told his fighter to cheat in hilarious UFC moment after controversial glove grab
How does coach Khabib Nurmagomedov handle cheating? By cheating right back.
Retiring with an undefeated 29-0 record in 2020, the former UFC Lightweight Champion has stuck around the sport coaching his teammates to many victories. Islam Makhachev, his cousins Umar and Usman Nurmagomedov as well as Tagir Ulanbekov.
Ulanbekovâs ranked #10 in the UFC flyweight division with a 16-2 record. The Dagestan-native has only lost once in the UFC â a very controversial fight against âThe Ultimate Fighter 24â winner Tim Elliott in 2022.
Going the full distance, Elliott defeated Ulanbekov by unanimous decision, cheating along the way.
READ MORE: Joe Rogan believes ex-UFC star with 14 losses âmight have gotâ Khabib Nurmagomedov and ended legendary winning streakEmbed from Getty ImagesKhabib Nurmagomedov told Tagir Ulanbekov to grab opponentâs glove after Tim Elliott did it firstAt UFC 272 with coach Khabib Nurmagomedov in his corner, Ulanbekov says Elliott grabbed the inside of his glove, holding him in place while he ate a punch to the face.
âTim just put his fingers in my gloves and I couldnât pull it back,â Ulanbekov told Red Corner MMA.
âI was trying to get it out and he was punching me. It had never happened to me before.â
Elliottâs illegal glove grab was caught on replay with UFC commentator Joe Rogan calling the move âso dirtyâ.
âI couldnât take him down,â Ulanbekov continued. âI canât tell the referee that heâs grabbing my glove. I was shouting to Khabib, âHey, heâs grabbing my glove!â and he shouted back at me, âGrab him too!â
â[Khabib] added that legendary phrase, he was like, âGrab his glove too and punch him back!’â
Tagir Ulanbekov Reveals Khabib’s Blunt Advice During Tim Elliott Fightđ
“Tim just put his fingers in my gloves and I couldn’t pull it back. I was trying to get it out and he was punching me. I couldn’t take him down. I was shouting to Khabib, ‘Hey, he’s grabbing my glove!’ and⊠pic.twitter.com/u3NhTekfjB
â Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) April 17, 2025 View Tweet
Tagir Ulanbekov calls Tim Elliott âdirty fighterâ for eyepoke that left him injured for two weeksApparently, the glove grab isnât the only thing that bothers Ulanbekov about the Tim Elliott fight.
The flyweight contender took issue with a brutal eyepoke from Elliott, one the referee didnât notice, calling out his former foe for his âdirtyâ tactics.
âThat guy is a very dirty fighter,â Ulanbekov said of Elliott.
âVery dirty, for real.
âI pushed him to the fence the ref didnât see that and put a thumb in my eye as deep as he could.
âHe scratched my retina or something like that. My eye was really bad two weeks after thatâŠâ
On a three-fight win streak since then, Tagir Ulanbekov is set to face off against former Bellator and RIZIN Champion Kyoji Horiguchi at UFC Baku on June 21st.
