Having arrived early in the U.S. for his final preparations for UFC 322, Islam Makhachev seems to be mixing business with leisure during his stay in New York. The former lightweight champion's latest escapade, however, has prompted a hilarious warning from his friend and mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov.Earlier today, Makhachev was spotted at Madison Square Garden for game 3 of the Eastern Conference clash between the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets.In an Instagram post by the home side, the 34-year-old can be seen posing for a picture with the team's starting centre, Karl-Anthony Towns, while holding a custom Knicks jersey bearing his name and the number 322, a clever nod to his upcoming UFC bout.Check out Islam Makhachev's picture with Karl Anthony Towns below: View this post on Instagram Instagram PostNurmagomedov, however, doesn't seem to approve of Makhachev's adventure so close to fight day. Reacting to the post in an Instagram story, the former undefeated lightweight champion wrote:"He won't help you in our game." [grinning emoji] [Translated from Russian to English via Instagram]Check out Khabib Nurmagomedov's response below:Screenshots courtesy: @khabib_nurmagomedov on InstagramMakhachev will next be seen in action at UFC 322 on Nov. 15 at Madison Square Garden, where he'll face reigning champion Jack Della Maddalena for the welterweight title.With the fight under a week away, Makhachev is a -265 favorite for the bout, with Della Maddalena a +200 underdog. If the Dagestani emerges victorious, he'll become the 10th two-division champion in UFC history.When Islam Makhachev opened up about how a fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov would goWhile Islam Makhachev is widely regarded as one of the greatest UFC fighters of all time, and by some metrics the best lightweight in history, he insists his friend Khabib Nurmagomedov is better than him.During a 2022 appearance on the Muslim Money Experts podcast, the former pound-for-pound king was asked how a fight between him and Nurmagomedov would play out. True to form, Makhachev responded with humility:"This guy who showed me, you know, all the roads. how I have to train, how I have to live, what I have to do, and this guy more professional, you know. This guy have very big experience in this sport. Even right now, when he retired, he still in very good shape... We completed many times, we did more than a thousand rounds in the gym. He's my hardest opponent, you know. We always have crazy rounds... Nobody can stop Khabib in the cage, even me."