Has there ever been anything like Khabib Nurmagomedov in the UFC before? Heading into tonight's UFC 242 main event, few gave Dustin Poirier any chance of ending the Russian's undefeated run.
The Abu Dhabi crowd were unsurprisingly overwhelmingly in favour of the Dagestan fighter. Khabib attacked the American right from the outset, attempting to take the fight to the ground right away.
Poirier put up little resistance and spent the majority of the first round on his back. Khabib looked like he could have ended it on a couple of occasions, coming close to locking in a rear naked choke.
🗣️ "Nurmagomedov at his mauling BEST in Round 1️⃣!"@TeamKhabib #UFC242 🦅
📺 Watch LIVE on @BTSport Box Office: https://t.co/gOlWFDyb6p pic.twitter.com/I3C14HVQ87— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) September 7, 2019
Poirier put up a sterner challenge at the start of the second, managing to catch Khabib with a couple of strong shots while the fight was on the feet. Still, the Russian still got him with a takedown 70 seconds in, with the remainder of the round being spent on the ground.
When it went to the floor early in the third once more, Poirier actually managed to gain the impetus. He got the champion into a choke, which was locked in tight.
Khabib soon broke free, however, and applied a rear naked choke of his own. This time, there was no escape for the American.
After his antics in the aftermath of his win over Conor McGregor, Khabib hopped the octagon fence once more after this one. However, this time it was done in much greater spirits as he sought out UFC President Dana White.
UNDISPUTED. UNDEFEATED. 🏆@TeamKhabib moves to 2️⃣8️⃣-0️⃣ at #UFC242! 🦅
📺 Watch LIVE on @BTSport Box Office: https://t.co/gOlWFDyb6p pic.twitter.com/stl2ZHPsdv— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) September 7, 2019
