The rivalry between Azerbaijani fighter Magomedali Osmanli and Kyrgyzstan's Ilibek Akylbek Uulu has been compared to the famous feud between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor.
As reported by İdman.Biz, The Ultimate Fighter 34 contestant Xavier Franklin, who trained alongside both fighters on Michael Bisping's team, spoke about the tension between the two finalists.
According to the American, the hostility between Osmanli and Akylbek Uulu was genuine and was not manufactured for the television cameras.
"They really don't like each other at all. It's not just about the fight. There were things happening behind the scenes that literally remind me of the Conor and Khabib situation. It's so serious that there could even be a conflict in the crowd between people from their two countries," Franklin told MMA Fighting.
The rivalry between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor reached its peak in 2018 ahead of their fight at UFC 229. Their feud featured intense trash talk, personal insults and the infamous incident in Brooklyn when McGregor attacked a bus carrying Nurmagomedov and other UFC fighters.
Nurmagomedov eventually submitted the Irishman in the fourth round of their title fight. Moments later, a mass brawl involving members of both camps erupted around the Octagon. UFC 229 became the best-selling pay-per-view event in UFC history, generating approximately 2.4 million buys.
Returning to the Osmanli-Akylbek Uulu rivalry, one of the most heated episodes occurred during a joint training session. While grappling on the ground, Akylbek Uulu placed his elbow against Osmanli's face. According to Franklin, the movement looked more like an elbow frame used while attempting to escape a buggy choke, but the Azerbaijani interpreted it as a strike.
Osmanli became furious and demanded that they put on MMA gloves and continue sparring. The coaches initially tried to separate the fighters before eventually allowing them to resume training. Michael Bisping was not in the gym at the time.
Franklin said the tension did not disappear when the session ended, with the confrontation continuing in the locker room.
The American also criticised the coaching staff for repeatedly pairing Osmanli and Akylbek Uulu despite the obvious hostility between them.
"You've got two wolves training with each other. They don't like each other. You can't let them train together because they literally don't like each other. One guy is going to do something, the other guy is going to respond. It's not smart," he stressed.
The rivals will now have the opportunity to settle their differences in an official fight. Osmanli and Akylbek Uulu will meet on September 26 in Las Vegas at UFC Fight Night: Rosas Jr. vs Barcelos in the bantamweight final of The Ultimate Fighter 34.
The winner will receive the show's main prize – a six-figure UFC contract.
Osmanli reached the final with two consecutive stoppage victories. The Azerbaijani first submitted Artem Belakh in the opening round before defeating Christian Strong in the semifinal with a rare buggy choke in the second round.
Akylbek Uulu, meanwhile, booked his place in the final by defeating Franklin via decision in the semifinal.
As previously reported by İdman.Biz, both finalists have already been added to the UFC's official roster ahead of their head-to-head fight. Osmanli is listed as "Active" on the promotion's website, with his September 26 bout shown as his UFC debut. Akylbek Uulu has also been added to the roster.
Therefore, both the Azerbaijani and Kyrgyz fighters are already listed as active UFC athletes, even though they have yet to contest the TUF 34 final, where the winner will receive a separate six-figure contract as the season's champion.
