'Smash his face, man!' Khabib Nurmagomedov gives Kelvin Gastelum pep talk ahead of UFC 244 battle against Darren Till (VIDEO)
The fighters are settled into their New York hotel and making their final preparations ahead of UFC 244, and UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov put in a quick call to stablemate Kelvin Gastelum during fight week.
Khabib jumped on the phone while middleweight contender Gastelum was relaxing alongside the pair's manager, Ali Abdelaziz. And, after Abdelaziz teased Gastelum over his hair, Khabib told the former winner of The Ultimate Fighter that he was looking forward to the matchup.
"This is a very interesting matchup, very interesting," said Khabib, before offering some short, but simple, advice to his friend.
"Knock him out! I believe in you, I believe! Smash his face, man!"
The exchange was captured during the UFC's behind-the-scenes fight week video blog, 'UFC Embedded' ahead of the big event in New York on Saturday night.
Gastelum is looking to claim another big victory to press his claims for a shot at the UFC middleweight title, and a rematch with the man who edged their epic first encounter earlier this year, newly-crowned middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.
To get that rematch, Gastelum will have to defeat former welterweight title challenger Till, who has moved up to 185 pounds in a bid to reignite his own world championship chances.
The pair are set to face off in a co-main event fight that hardcore fight fans are anticipating almost as eagerly as the main event itself as the UFC returns to the mecca of combat sport, Madison Square Garden.
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