Khabib Nurmagomedov News

Chris Taylor - April 22, 2018

Khabib Nurmagomedov discusses his options in the “very heated” lightweight division Khabib Nurmagomedov was crowned the UFC’s undisputed lightweight champion earlier this month in Brooklyn, this after he scored a unanimous decision victory over Al Iaquinta in the main event of UFC 223.

Chris Taylor - April 22, 2018

Eddie Alvarez blasts “paper champion” Khabib Nurmagomedov Former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez (29-5 MMA) was in attendance at last night’s UFC Fight Night 128 event in Atlantic City.

Joe David - April 21, 2018

The date was September 21st 2016 and the infamous two word Tweet “Beg me” rang out in the MMA community like two warning shots out of a 12 gauge shotgun.  Conor McGregor was on top of the mixed martial arts world and was seeking a second UFC title, this time in the promotions lightweight division. “Mystic Mac” would ultimately score a second-round knockout over then 155-pound champ Eddie Alvarez to become the first UFC fighter to hold two belts simultaneously.  “The Notorious” would go on to relinquish his featherweight title late November 2016. Flash forward to the present and McGregor is in a much different position than he once was.  He recently was stripped of his lightweight title earlier this month.  Once Khabib was able to make weight for his UFC 223 appearance against last minute replacement Al Iaquinta the belt was stripped and a series of events took place that may have created issues for a fight with “The Eagle” before this year is through.

Tom Taylor - April 20, 2018

Perhaps the biggest fight possible in MMA at present would be a showdown between undefeated UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and former champion Conor McGregor. Apparently, talks are already under way to make that fight a reality. Speaking at a Q&A at a Russian University this week, Nurmagomedov suggested that there has been some contact between his and McGregor’s teams surrounding a potential fight. That said, he doesn’t plan on waiting around for the Irish star. If negotiations take too long, the lightweight champ seems content to direct his focus elsewhere.

Tom Taylor - April 18, 2018

The lightweight division could not be interesting right now. The undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov now sits on the UFC lightweight throne, while Tony Ferguson recovers from surgery, and Conor McGregor adds an ever-present asterisk to the lightweight title situation. Then there are dangerous UFC lightweight contenders like Dustin Poirier, Eddie Alvarez, Al Iaquinta, Kevin Lee, and Edson Barboza. And of course, there are the countless top lightweight talents who currently reside outside the UFC, like Bellator staple Michael Chandler. Speaking on MMAJunkie Radio this week, Chandler delved deep on the state of the lightweight division. While he’s certainly paying attention to the goings-on over in the UFC, however, he has no intention of leaving Bellator when his current contract wraps up.

Tom Taylor - April 18, 2018

Edson Barboza’s December loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov couldn’t have gone a whole lot worse, as he was thoroughly dominated by the Russian for three, lopsided rounds. All the same, the ever-dangerous Barboza feels Nurmagomedov could lose to any number of top-10 lightweights on any given night. “It’s tough to say who is the best,” Barboza told MMAWeekly. “Sometimes the guy who’s the best isn’t the guy who wins that night and he loses. It’s so hard for me to say one guy is the best. I feel like if you see the top five guys in the UFC, you rank the top five guys, all those guys their level is so high.

Tom Taylor - April 18, 2018

There are several options on the table for the first title defense of new UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov. One is Dustin Poirier, who says he’s been contacted by Nurmagomedov’s camp to discuss a title fight. Another is Tony Ferguson, who’s been scheduled to fight Nurmagomedov a whopping four times to no avail in the past. And then, of course, there’s former UFC lightweight champ Conor McGregor, who’s beef with Nurmagomedov is currently absolutely sizzling. Whether it serves as Nurmagomedov’s first title defense or not, UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier believes a Nurmagomedov vs. McGregor fight will happen in the near future. Given that he’s both a long-time Nurmagomedov training partner and a UFC analyst, Cormier’s confidence in this matchup occurring is certainly interesting.

Tom Taylor - April 17, 2018

After his riveting knockout win over Justin Gaethje last Saturday in Glendale, AZ, Dustin Poirier called for a title shot opposite new UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. From the sounds of it, he may just get his wish. Speaking on the MMA Hour on Monday, Poirier divulged that he’d heard from Nurmagomedov’s manager, who he says broached the idea of a title fight — perhaps even in Nurmagomedov’s native Russia.

Tom Taylor - April 12, 2018

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Tom Taylor - April 12, 2018

In the wake of UFC 223, which saw Khabib Nurmagomedov capture lightweight gold, and Rose Namajunas cement her status as strawweight champ, the UFC has updated its official UFC rankings. The post notable change to these new UFC rankings occurred at lightweight, where Conor McGregor has lost the (C) beside his name, and has rejoined the lightweight contender pool. It’s also worth noting that the new champ Nurmagomedov has taken a massive trip up the pound-four-pound list.

Tom Taylor - April 12, 2018

At long last, undefeated Dagestani lightweight Khabib Nurmagomedov finally has a UFC belt wrapped around his waist. He earned that belt last Saturday, when he dominated last-minute replacement opponent Al Iaquinta to a unanimous decision win in the main event of UFC 223. While Nurmagomedov is now the undisputed lightweight champion, however, not everyone is buying his reign. UFC lightweight contender Dustin Poirier, for example, has some issues. Poirier, who battles Justin Gaethje in the main event of the UFC’s Saturday stop in Glendale, Arizona, shared his gripes with Nurmagomedov’s reign in a chat with MMAJunkie. For him, it all comes down to the fact that Iaquinta hadn’t really earned the title shot in the same way that Nurmagomedov had.

Tom Taylor - April 11, 2018

Khabib Nurmagomedov is, at long last, the UFC lightweight champion. He earned that distinction with a lopsided unanimous decision win over last-minute replacement opponent Al Iaquinta in the main event of UFC 223 last weekend. Now a ridiculous 26-0 overall, Nurmagomedov can start looking forward to his first challenge as UFC lightweight champion. While nothing is set in stone just yet, the frontrunners when it comes to his first challenger are former champion Conor McGregor, and former interim champion Tony Ferguson—both of whom were stripped when Nurmagomedov won the title at UFC 223.

Tom Taylor - April 10, 2018

Over the weekend, in the main event of UFC 223, Khabib Nurmagomedov thwarted a last minute opponent Al Iaquinta, moving to a flawless 26-0 overall, and capturing the UFC lightweight title in the process. With a UFC belt finally wrapped around his waist, Nurmagomedov can look forward to any number of interesting options going forward. There’s Georges St-Pierre, who he called out post-fight. There’s Conor McGregor, the former champion. And of course, there’s former interim champ Tony Ferguson, who Nurmagomedov has been booked to fight a whopping four times to no avail.

Tom Taylor - April 10, 2018

Last weekend, in the main event of UFC 223, Khabib Nurmagomedov captured the UFC lightweight title with a decision win over last-minute replacement opponent Al Iaquinta. While Nurmagomedov’s title win, which moved him to an insane 26-0 overall, wasn’t entirely flawless, it did strengthen his reputation as a seemingly unbeatable fighter. While many fight fans are becoming increasingly doubtful that Nurmagomedov can be stopped, former UFC lightweight champ Eddie Alvarez isn’t buying it. In fact, he believes he’s the man to beat Khabib—and he thinks we all know it too.

Tom Taylor - April 9, 2018

Khabib Nurmagomedov on Dagestani Airport with more than one thousand fans #eaglesmma pic.twitter.com/67N3tp4xPB — gornii veter (@neluibit) April 9, 2018

Tom Taylor - April 9, 2018

Last Saturday, in the main event of the seemingly cursed UFC 223 card, undefeated lightweight contender Khabib Nurmagomedov captured the UFC lightweight title with a lopsided unanimous decision win over last-minute replacement opponent Al Iaquinta. As always, Nurmagomedov’s world class grappling acumen served as a significant catalyst for his victory. This time around, however, Nurmagomedov’s striking—particularly his jab—also helped win him the fight. Though he was believed to be at a significant disadvantage on the feet against Iaquinta, the Russian spent significant portions of the fight engaging his foe in a striking battle, and surprisingly performed quite well.

Chris Taylor - April 8, 2018

Georges St-Pierre responds to Khabib Nurmagomedov’s respectful challenge Khabib Nurmagomedov captured the UFC’s undisputed lightweight title at last night’s UFC 223 event in Brooklyn by scoring a dominant decision victory over “Raging” Al Iaquinta.

Chris Taylor - April 8, 2018

Khabib Nurmagomedov sends a familiar message to rival Conor McGregor Khabib Nurmagomedov captured the UFC’s undisputed lightweight championship at last night’s UFC 223 event after scoring a dominant victory over “Raging” Al Iaquinta.