Khabib Nurmagomedov News

Justin Golightly - January 13, 2018

As chaotic as the MMA world is right now, the UFC’s lightweight division is still ridiculous. Eddie Alvarez jsut got off an extremely violent win over Justin Gaethje and is waiting for a huge fight. Khabib Nurmagomedov is back and on warpath. Tony Ferguson is the interim lightweight belt holder and still recovering from elbow surgery. Meanwhile, the undisputed champion Conor McGregor is still counting his money and waiting on the right time to show back up. With his future up in the air, Joe Rogan thinks the UFC will strip him make big fights in his absence. “Here’s my prediction: My prediction is Conor [McGregor] doesn’t fight for a while. They strip Conor. Tony [Ferguson] and Khabib [Nurmagomedov] fight for the [undisputed UFC lightweight] world title. […] What I believe is gonna happen is, Conor’s gonna vacate. I think they’re going to strip him.”

Justin Golightly - January 13, 2018

No doubt Max Holloway is game for anything. When Frankie Edgar was forced to pull out of their fight at UFC 218, he was willing to step up to lightweight to stay on the card to fight Tony Ferguson or anyone else who was up for a scrap. If there was still some question about Holloway’s warrior mentality, he just came out and said he’d be willing to fight the scariest man in the next division up. If the chance ever comes, regardless of the weight class, Holloway would love to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov. “Oh yeah, for sure [I could see a fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov down the road]. I think Khabib is a beast and that’s the kind of guys you want to fight to cement your legacy. He’s over here making all the greats, all the top guys look average and I want to fight him. People keep telling me, ‘he’s gonna smash you and this and that,’ I’ve heard this before. I have nothing but respect for the guy but at the end of the day if you want to be the best, you have to beat the best.”

Justin Golightly - January 12, 2018

Ever since Khabib Nurmagomedov put on a dominating performance against Edson Barboza, he’s continued to dominate headlines. From being slated for a high-profile fight with Tony Ferguson, to Conor McGregor’s coach watching footage of his fights, to an epic first-ever Russian UFC card, you can’t look anywhere without seeing Nurmagomedov’s name. Everyone is wondering what is next for the Russian Sambo machine, but it seems like his manager already knows. It looks like the plan is to indeed skip Ferguson and go straight to McGregor, unless the belt is stripped and a fight with Tony is for the true UFC lightweight title. “Khabib [Nurmagomedov]’s next fight, we’re not fighting for no damn interim belt. We want the real belt, or we don’t want nothing. We appreciate everything the UFC has done for us, but it’s time for a real belt. Nobody is interested in fighting for a fake belt. Tony Ferguson has a fake belt. Nobody wants this.” — Ali Abdelaziz, Khabib Nurmagomedov’s manager, speaking to MMA Fighting.

Justin Golightly - January 12, 2018

Khabib Nurmagomedov and team has said that some big news is in the works. Fans and media alike specualted whether that would be a interim title fight against Tony Ferguson, or if Nurmagomedov would just be able to skip straight to an undisputed title fight with Conor McGregor. No one expected that it may also be a huge card in Russia, but that just became way more of a possibility. First reported by Denis Geyko of RT Sport, the UFC has booked their the first ever fight card in Russia at Moscow’s Olympiyskiy Stadium. “Most likely, this event is going to be connected with us. [Khabib Nurmagomedov] will fight in April first with Tony Ferguson, and then we will receive a date for a fight with [Conor] McGregor. Although I can’t exclude the possibility they will make us wait for Ferguson until September, and there won’t be an April fight.”

Tom Taylor - January 10, 2018

After his UFC 219 destruction of the always dangerous Edson Barboza, Dagestan’s Khabib Nurmagomedov is once again one of the most talked about fighters in the UFC. Undefeated at 25-0, the destructive grappling specialist is now the undeniable, irrefutable number one contender at lightweight. The big question simply seems to be whether he battles undisputed UFC lightweight champ Conor McGregor, or interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson. Logic, of course, would suggest that if Nurmagomedov gets the next lightweight title shot, it’ll come against Ferguson. If McGregor returns to defend his title, after all, he’d likely have to do it against the interim champion Ferguson. Shortly after his fight with Barboza, Nurmagomedov’s manager assured a fight with Ferguson is indeed the focus.

Tom Taylor - January 7, 2018

Last weekend, in the co-main event of the stacked UFC 219, lightweight contender Khabib Nurmagomedov improved to an insane 25-0, brutalizing the dangerous Edson Barboza to a lopsided unanimous decision victory. With this win, Nurmagomedov stands out as the irrefutable number one contender at lightweight – whether his shot comes against interim champion Tony Ferguson or undisputed champion Conor McGregor. Speaking on a recent episode of The Joe Rogan MMA Show, UFC color commentator Joe Rogan discussed Nurmagomedov’s position in the stacked UFC lightweight division. In his opinion, the Dagestani fighter is now the most terrifying lightweight contender in the world.

Justin Golightly - January 6, 2018

Whether or not he’s your favorite fighter or not, Khabib Nurmagomedov is the shining, smashing example of a fighter’s fighter. The type of man that other UFC fighters pick as their favorite fighter, that is unless they have to face him in the Octagon. He came back, answered the single doubt he’s left in anyone’s mind, and absolutely dominated a top five lightweight in Edson Barboza in devastating fashion. From one champion to another, Tyron Woodley is mad hype on Khabib Nurmagomedov. “Let’s get some respect for this dude, because I don’t want [Khabib Nurmagomedov] storming in here trying to double leg my ass. I’m gonna say something outlandish. ‘F’ Tony Ferguson right now. I think he jumps Tony Ferguson and he goes straight to Conor McGregor. Man, it was completely savage how he was whooping up on the homie Michael Johnson — which is a tough cookie — and was saying stop. When a man telling you to quit and give up in a fight, he’s on a whole ‘nother level.”

Drake Riggs - January 5, 2018

When it comes to managers, few are quite as vocal as many of MMA’s biggest stars manager, Ali Abdelaziz. One of his fighters happens to be the hot commodity that is Khabib “The Eagle” Nurmagomedov. Khabib last fought at UFC 219 where he put on an epic beating on top five Lightweight, Edson Barboza over the span of three rounds on route to a clear-cut unanimous decision that included multiple 10-8 round scores. Abdelaziz tweeted out today that they are looking at the interim champion, Tony Ferguson for their next move.  

Justin Golightly - January 4, 2018

It looks like Khabib Nurmagomedov’s convincing and violent marketing campaign has paid off. He was talking to Dana White in between dominating Edson Barboza at UFC 219, even waiting on him at his car to speak with him in the parking lot. Everything with Conor McGregor is still up in the air, so the UFC is now moving on with or without him. The plan right now is for Nurmagomedov to finally fight Tony Ferguson. It will depend on McGregor if that fight is for the interim or the undisputed UFC lightweight title. “As long as Conor [McGregor] is willing to fight by March, we could do Khabib [Nurmagomedov] versus Tony [Ferguson]. We could do Khabib versus Tony and then the winner fights Conor for the title. Or, Conor doesn’t want to fight and wants to sit out until next fall, then we would have to make Khabib vs. Tony for the title – not the interim title.”

Russell Sai - January 3, 2018

Khabib Nurmagomedov dazzled a lot of people with his performance over Edson Barboza at UFC 219. Although a few people including Conor McGregor and Tony Ferguson were not so impressed by Nurmagomedov’s performance, UFC commentator Joe Rogan was blown away and has talked about a matchup between McGregor and Nurmagomedov as that is undeniably a very intriguing matchup in the UFC lightweight division. Ferguson tweeted after UFC 219, “Yo @joerogan Last Time I Checked I Was The Fuckin Champ… U Trading The 10P Gear For A Hat?”

Justin Golightly - January 3, 2018

Imagine watching Khabib Nurmagomedov dominating arguably the most dangerous striker in the lightweight division. Not only that, but somehow he’s talking to you while he’s doing it. Now imagine that this man is waiting on your car after UFC 219 to talk with you. That’s what happened to Dana White at UFC 219. Nurmagomedov greeted White with his signature ‘papakha’ hat and a speech to end all post-fight speeches. Making the point that Conor McGregor took a paternity leave from the UFC for his son’s birth, while Khabib stayed and beat Edson Barboza. “I tell [Dana White] hey, today when I fight, my son is born. I tell him hey, you remember one year ago? All MMA fans one year waiting for Conor [McGregor’s] son, but I’m here. For my fans, for my legacy, for my history, for everything. I need real fight. Tony [Ferguson] or Conor. Doesn’t matter. Please give me both. He said, ‘You deserve everything what you want.’ And he told me, ‘Performance of the night is yours.'”

Drake Riggs - January 2, 2018

After UFC 219, Khabib Nurmagomedov has been all the rage when it comes to the hottest of MMA discussions. It doesn’t hurt that after such an impressive victory, he and the Lightweight champion, Conor McGregor have been going back and forth somewhat consistently on Twitter over the past few days. But today the top Lightweight announced the signing of his cousin, Abubakar Nurmagomedov on his Instagram profile. https://www.instagram.com/p/BddfaKXlg15/?taken-by=khabib_nurmagomedov

Justin Golightly - January 2, 2018

Throwback to 2015 when Conor McGregor predicted that Khabib Nurmagomedov would one day have the Lightweight title. pic.twitter.com/pzJT9U6WoR — UFC India (@UFCIndia) December 31, 2017

Tom Taylor - January 2, 2018

Now that UFC 219 is in the rear-view mirror, the UFC has updated its official rankings to reflect the results of the card. The most notable changes to the UFC rankings occured on the pound-for-pound list, where Khabib Nurmagomedov made his long-awaited debut, a distinction he earned by pounding Edson Barboza into applesauce in the UFC 219 co-main event. UFC 219 main event winner Cris Cyborg also moved up the list in the wake of her thrilling victory of Holly Holm, while Georges St-Pierre and Conor McGregor arbitrarily switched spots on the pound-for-pound list, despite the fact that neither has competed in recent weeks.

Tom Taylor - January 2, 2018

Over the weekend, in the co-main event of the stacked UFC 219, Dagestani lightweight contender Khabib Nurmagomedov picked up yet another dominant win, violating the dangerous Edson Barboza for three, lopsided rounds, and ultimately capturing a clear unanimous decision. With this win, Nurmagomedov stands out as the clear-cut number one contender in the UFC lightweight division. The big question is whether his long-awaited title shot will come against undisputed champion Conor McGregor or interim champion Tony Ferguson. 

Tom Taylor - January 2, 2018

Back in November of 2016, on the undercard of UFC 205, Khabib Nurmagomedov stepped into the Octagon with the dangerous Michael Johnson. Nurmagomedov would dominate this fight, bludgeoning his bewildered foe to a third-round submission win. While Nurmagomedov’s dominance against Johnson generated plenty of headlines on its own, he also produced some serious buzz by engaging in a pretty long-winded conversation with both Johnson and UFC President Dana White during the fight.

Chris Taylor - January 1, 2018

Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov kicked off the New Year by trading barbs on Twitter. The heated exchange came shortly after Khabib Nurmagomedov’s impressive victory over Edson Barboza in the co-main event of UFC 219 on Saturday night.

Tom Taylor - January 1, 2018

Over the weekend, in the co-main event of UFC 219, Dagestan’s Khabib Nurmagomedov improved to an insane 25-0 overall, bludgeoning Brazilian knockout artist Edson Barboza to a lopsided unanimous decision win. Pretty much everybody was impressed by Nurmagomedov’s insane win – but do not file UFC undisputed lightweight champion Conor McGregor into that group. On Monday afternoon, the Irish superstar took to Twitter with a brief reaction to Nurmagomedov’s win, referring to it as “dog shit.”