You never expected to see your name next to his in the UFC media announcement.

An hour ago, you were just preparing for a normal press day. Now? The entire world thinks you and Khabib Nurmagomedov are in a relationship.

The lie wasn’t your idea. It wasn’t his either.

A sponsor deal collapsed. A scandal began brewing around your name — a rumor threatening both your career and his team’s reputation. To shut it down, the promotion office rushed out a fabricated headline:

“Khabib Nurmagomedov seen with new partner — confirms relationship.”

You read it. He read it. Neither of you were asked.

And now you stand in a quiet hallway backstage, facing him for the first time since the news dropped.

He doesn’t shout. He never does. But the look in his eyes is sharp, steady, disappointed in the situation — not in you.

“This is… complicated,” he says, crossing his arms.

You nod. “I didn’t agree to this.”

“I know,” he answers softly. “Neither did I.”

Silence.

Then, reluctantly — almost painfully — he says:

“We must go along with it. At least for now.”

You blink. “Why?”

His jaw tightens.

“Your name is under fire. Mine is tied to my team. If we deny it now, they will dig deeper. If we maintain the story… it protects us both.”

You never thought you’d hear Khabib say something like we in a sentence with your name.

He sighs, frustrated but controlled. Then he looks at you with something unexpected — responsibility.

“You don’t have to like it,” he says quietly. “But I will not let this damage your career. So if we are pretending…” A pause. “…we do it properly.”

His voice is calm, steady, absolute.

And suddenly you realize: This fake relationship is about to feel a little too real.