SUMMARY
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Khabib “The Eagle” Nurmagomedov (29-0) proved yet again he’s a cut above the rest as he successfully defended his UFC lightweight championship against the interim champion Justin “The Highlight” Gaethje (22-3) in an emotional main event of UFC 254 on Sunday, October 25 at Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.
Nurmagomedov put Gaethje to sleep in the second round of the fight via triangle choke, and immediately became emotional as he dedicated his victory to his late father and trainer, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.
Abdulmanap, 57, passed away last July due to complications from COVID-19.
The 32-year-old Russian champion also surprisingly announced his retirement right after the fight to fulfill the promise he made to his mother.
“Today, I want to say, this was my last fight,” Khabib said. “No way am I going to come here without my father. [My mother] doesn’t want me to fight without my father. I promised her that this will be my last fight. And if I give my word, I need to follow it.”
With his exit, Nurmagomedov moved to a 13-0 record in the UFC, which includes big-time wins against Edson Barboza, Dustin Porier and Conor McGregor.
Nurmagomedov also expects UFC to put him as the No.1 pound-for-pound fighter after his dominant win against Gaethje.
“I know only one thing I want from UFC, you guys, have to be me on No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world, because I deserve this,” he said.
Currently, Nurmagomedov sits at No. 2 in the pound-for-pound list, just behind former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.
“I’m the UFC undisputed, undefeated champion with a 13-0 record, and 29-0 in all of my pro MMA career,” said Nurmagomedov.
McGregor tweets
Long time rival McGregor of Ireland, who lost to Nurmagomedov in 2018, was among the first to congratulate Nurmagomedov on his career.
“I will carry on. Respect and condolences on your father again also. To you and family. Yours sincerely, The McGregors,” he tweeted.
UFC president Dana White joined the tributes and revealed at a news conference as Fight Island ended that Nurmagomedov had broken his foot in the build-up to Saturday’s event.
“What this guy’s been through, we’re all lucky we got to see him fight tonight,” said White.
“Apparently he was in the hospital. He broke his foot 3 weeks ago. So he has two broken toes and a bone in his foot that’s broken – that’s what his corner was telling me. Never told anybody.
“He is one of the toughest human beings on the planet and he’s the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world and, seriously, you have to start putting him up there with GOAT (greatest of all time) status with whoever else you think is the GOAT.”
‘The Reaper’ rules
American Gaethje, 31, is now 22-3 in his career in UFC.
“Thank you so much Justin. I know you are great, I know how you take care of your people,” said Nurmagomedov.
“Be close with your parents, because you never know what is going to happen tomorrow. Thank you coach, thank you guys. Today is my last fight in the UFC.”
In the co-main event, Robert “The Reaper” Whittaker (22-5) maintained his No. 1 contender status after his convincing decision victory over Jared “The Killa Gorilla” Cannonier (13-5).
The former middleweight champion relied on his jabs and combinations in the early rounds before connecting a solid head kick that stunned Cannonier in the final round of the bout.
“I thought it was a very good fight,” Whittaker said. “I had a very good game plan set out, me and my team have worked diligently for that and it worked flawlessly, I thought I controlled the entire fight.”
Cannonier, though, survived Whittaker’s onslaught and even managed to land a solid right in his quest for a possible hail mary hit, but Whittaker wisely played along the clock and pushed his foe to the fence in the closing salvo of the fight.
Whittaker now won his last two fights since losing his middleweight title against Israel Adesanya in October 2019. – with a report from Agence France-Presse
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