Said Nurmagomedov and Vinicius Oliveira competed in table tennis just hours before getting in the octagon for a big fight on Saturday night.
The bantamweight duo shared an intense face-off at the ceremonial weigh-ins for UFC Saudi Arabia, but just moments before enjoyed a friendly competition at the fighters’ hotel. Nurmagomedov appears calm despite a year-and-a-half out of action, while Oliveira has stayed active over the years.
Their main card fight at UFC Saudi Arabia tonight is one of the more intriguing fights of the card, with odds makers and fans struggling to separate the duo.
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A video shared to Instagram by coach Rafael Sombra showed the rivals competing in a friendly game of table tennis ahead of their meeting. In the brief footage, Nurmagomedov can be seen giving up a point as he overshoots towards Oliveira’s side.
The duo’s surnames has made this a fight of great intrigue, with many fans noting that a Nurmagomedov vs Oliveira fight in a different division may have been one of the biggest in UFC history. However, despite their names, they are not related to Charles Oliveira or Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Fans react to Said Nurmagomedov and Vinicius Oliveira videoThe video garnered quite a few views on social media, with fans generally delighted to see such sportsmanship between the pair.
“That’s wassup like seeing sum positive interactions with fighters,” one fan wrote in the comments section. “These two are surely gonna put on a good scrap Saturday.” Another then added: “Good to warm up the reflexes.”
And Brazilian fans were keen to show their support, with one writing: “Only love and respect to our Russian brothers.”
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Source : BloodyElbow