Cormier immediately called out both of them for not following any rules. Cormier noted that their famous games of Dagestani basketball is a mixture of rugby and basketball with almost no rules. Cormier would preferably not include them on any team as they would try to modify the rules according to their convenience. However, if bound to choose, Cormier would pick Nurmagomedov, whom he sees as the bigger and rougher one.
"I have my own opinion on this, but it's not right to talk about the UFC being a PFL fighter. In one year, Usman has grown a lot," Khabib told Team Gorilla Fighting. "I'm fighting with him myself, I'm working personally. And from the outside, he's at least on the same level as them [Ilia and Arman]. A year ago I would have said we still have to wait, but now he's already at that level. Time will show."
Khabib is widely regarded as one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time. "The Eagle" defended the UFC lightweight title thrice before retiring as the undefeated champion in 2020, following the death of his father and coach, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov. Khabib's teammates, Umar, Usman Nurmagomedov, Islam Makhachev and others were all originally honed by Abdulmanap. Khabib has taken leadership of the team following his retirement alongside American Kickboxing Academy head coach Javier Mendez.