UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov showed a high level of boxing years before he dropped Conor McGregor in the Octagon.
Khabib Nurmagomedov is considered by many as one of the greatest hunters in UFC history after an unbeaten 29-0 run in the cage. He ran away from fighting after a successful lightweight title defense against Justin Gaethje on UFC 254.
Before Nurmagomedov made his UFC debut, he was a talented prospect that participated in various regional promotions in Russia, including M-1 and Pro FC. Four battles before he signed at the UFC, Nurmagomedov was confronted with another talented prospect in Ashot Shaginyan, and many believed that Nurmagomedov would use a wrestling approach when they fought.
Nurmagomedov shocked the masses when he followed the opposite approach against Shaginyan, with a future UFC-Pond-for-Pond Koning in his corner at Pro FC 28.
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Khabib Nurmagomedov overwhelmed Pro FC -Rival with a punch -duries before UFC debut
Nurmagomedov and Shaginyan wasted no time to get in the square MMA ring, while Nurmagomedov pressed ahead with a box-heavy game plan. He pressed Shaginyan under pressure against the ropes and bleed the face of his opponent for only a few seconds in the fight.
While Shaginyan went for a desperate Takedown, Nurmagomedov went out beautifully and Shaginyan continued to put pressure on non -stop output. Despite countless attempts to combat Nurmagomedov, Shaginyan had a hard time landing when Nurmagomedov floated and dedicated by his claims.
With the future UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, commands shouted from the corner, Nurmagomedov continued to overwhelm Shaginyan and put him on the edge of stopping. Only two minutes after the fight Nurmagomedov Shaginyan dropped with a huge right hand that resulted in a delayed knockdown, forcing the referee to step in and stop the fight.
It was an impressive version for Nurmagomedov when he showed well -rounded skills in the cage. It was a message to other light weights to not only concentrate on the future UFC Hall of Famer's Wrestling, as Nurmagomedov gave his future rivals more to think about.
Years later, Nurmagomedov Conor McGregor would anesthetize with a huge blow to their UFC 229 collision. It was one of the few times that McGregor fell into his UFC career.
Khabib Nurmagomedov may stand in the way of booking the UFC two superfights
Fast forward to 2025, and Nurmagomedov is one of the best coaches in MMA. But while he prepares Makhachev and others for their upcoming fights, he is perhaps the biggest obstacle that prevents the UFC to secure a few megar rights.
While Makhachev appears to be a potential switch to Welterweight, Nurmagomedov concluded a potential collision with UFC champion Welterweight Belal Muhammad, saying that his 'Hart is not good' with the idea of ​​Makhachev and Mohammed who fight each other. Makhachev and Muhammad are teammates and good friends who trained under the supervision of Nurmagomedov and the old American kickboxing academy coach Javier Mendez.
Muhammad returns this weekend on UFC 315 against Jack della Maddalena and sent Makhachev a challenging message about a possible move to Welterweight. Makhachev met UFC CBO Hunter Campbell this week to discuss the next match of the lightweight champion.
A top option for the next lightweight title defense of Makhachev is Ilia Topuria, but it is rumor that Nurmagomedov prevents the fight. Topuria has announced that he has to fight at UFC 317 at an opponent to be determined, possibly Makhachev or former title holder Charles Oliveira.