Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman came to longtime friend Khabib Nurmagomedov’s defense after a recent controversy.

UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov retired at the top of his game in 2020, but remains one of the biggest presences in Mixed Martial Arts six years after hanging up the gloves.

Nurmagomedov, who retired after a win over Justin Gaethje at UFC 254, transitioned seemlessly from fighter to coach. He’s mentored the likes of Islam Makhachev, his cousin Umar Nurmagomedov, and others in recent years.

While Nurmagomedov remains a global superstar, some of his recent remarks got him in hot water with some MMA fans. During a recent Q&A panel, Nurmagomedov made some controversial comments about female fighters, calling them ‘weak’ and that ‘fighting is for men’.

Several top female stars, such as Julianna Pena and Valentina Shevchenko, scorched Nurmagomedov in response. But one of Nurmagomedov’s longtime friends came to his defense.

Kamaru Usman: Khabib ‘taken out of context’ with women’s MMA stance

In a recent episode of the Pound 4 Pound podcast, Usman defended Nurmagomedov after Valentina Shevchenko and others slammed his comments about women’s MMA.

“I completely understand where he’s coming from, because I came from a different culture [too]. It’s a cultural thing,” Usman said of Nurmagomedov’s comments.

“This has nothing to do with what society or the American public is taking it as. Khabib didn’t mean that women can’t do anything, or that they’re weaklings. He didn’t mean that. We know that fighting is a rough sport, rough and tough sport, very violent. Men war, we know that, everybody knows that. This was the whole premise of why you draft the men to war back in the day, that’s why you leave that to men…

“He’s not saying that women can’t do anything – but, it’s just taken out of context. It’s a violent thing that men do, and that’s why you leave that to violent men sometimes,” Usman continued. “I get what Valentina [Shevchenko] is saying as well, but no one said that…of course, Antonina [Shevchenko] being a pilot now, that doesn’t mean you’re weaker. Of course, women should know how to defend themselves!”

Do you agree with Khabib Nurmagomedov’s comments about female MMA fighters? Let us know in the comments!