Khabib Abdulmanapovich Nurmagomedov(Russian: Хабиб Абдулманапович Нурмагомедов; Avar: ХIабиб ГӀабдулманапил НурмухӀамадов; born 20 September 1988) is a Russian professional mixed martial artist of Avar ethnicity. Nurmagomedov is a two-time Combat SamboWorld Champion and the reigning undisputed UFC Lightweight Champion. He currently holds the longest undefeated streak in MMA, with 27 wins, and remains undefeated in professional MMA.[6] Hailing from Russia's Dagestan region, he is the first Russian and the first Muslim to win a UFC title.[7][8] His headline bout with Conor McGregor at UFC 229 drew 2.4 million pay-per-view buys, the most ever for an MMA event.[9] As of 2 January 2019, he is #3 in official UFC pound-for-pound rankings.[10]
Khabib Nurmagomedov made his professional MMA debut in September 2008 and compiled four wins in under a month. On 11 October, Nurmagomedov became the inaugural Atrium Cup tournament champion, having defeated his three opponents at the Moscow event. Over the next three years he would go undefeated, finishing 11 out of 12 opponents. These included a first round armbar finish of future Bellator title challenger Shahbulat Shamhalaev, which marked his M-1 Global debut. In 2011, he would go on to compete for the ProFC promotion. That year alone he competed in seven fights, all of which he won by TKO or submission. A perfect 16-0 record in the regional circuits of Russia and Ukraine was enough to get a call up from the UFC.[24][25]
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Early UFC fights and championship pursuits
In late 2011, Nurmagomedov signed a six-fight deal to compete in the UFC’s lightweight division.[26]
In his UFC debut, on 20 January 2012, at UFC on FX 1, Nurmagomedov defeated Kamal Shalorus via submission in the third round.[27]
Nurmagomedov next fight was against Thiago Tavares on 19 January 2013, at UFC on FX 7.[29] He won via KO in the first round.
Nurmagomedov defeated Abel Trujillo on 25 May 2013, at UFC 160 via unanimous decision. At the weigh-ins, Nurmagomedov came in over the permitted limit, weighing in at 158.5 lb. He was given two hours to cut to the lightweight maximum of 156 pounds, but elected instead to surrender a percentage of his fight purse to Trujillo and the bout was contested at a catchweight.[30] In the course of the fight, Nurmagomedov set a new UFC record for the most takedowns in a single fight with 21 successful takedowns out of 27 attempts.[31]
In his fifth UFC fight, on 21 September 2013, at UFC 165, Nurmagomedov faced Pat Healy.[32] He won the fight via unanimous decision. Attending his first post-event press conference, UFC president Dana Whitepraised the relative newcomer stating, "That slam, when he just scoops him up and slams him, Matt Hughes style. That reminded me of the old Matt Hughes where he would run a guy across the Octagon and slam him. The kid is exciting. We’re probably going to do big things with this kid."[33]
In December, Nurmagomedov challenged Gilbert Melendez on social media, with the two then expected to face off at UFC 170 on 22 February 2014.[34] However, the bout was cancelled for undisclosed reasons,[35] with Melendez then replaced by Nate Diaz. However, the match-up was again cancelled as Diaz turned the bout down.[36]Nurmagomedov expressed his disappointment, appearing on The MMA Hour, "If they say that they're willing to fight the best, they should fight the best. If they want, I'll take them both at once in the cage."[37]
Nurmagomedov next faced Rafael dos Anjoson 19 April 2014, at UFC on Fox 11.[38] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[39]
Nurmagomedov was briefly linked to a bout with Donald Cerrone on 27 September 2014, at UFC 178.[40] However, the pairing was quickly scrapped after it was revealed that Nurmagomedov had suffered a knee injury.[41]He was later expected to face Donald Cerroneon 23 May 2015, at UFC 187.[42] However, Nurmagomedov pulled out of the bout on 30 April due to a recurring knee injury. He was replaced by John Makdessi.[43]
Nurmagomedov was expected to face Tony Ferguson on 11 December 2015, at The Ultimate Fighter 22 Finale.[44] However, Nurmagomedov pulled out of the fight in late October, citing another injury, and was replaced by Edson Barboza.[45]
The bout with Ferguson was rescheduled to take place on 16 April 2016, at UFC on Fox 19.[46] However, on 5 April, Ferguson pulled out of the bout due to a lung issue.[47]Ferguson was replaced by promotional newcomer Darrell Horcher at a catchweight of 160 lb.[48] Nurmagomedov won the one-sided fight by TKO in the second round.[49]
In September, Nurmagomedov signed two contracts for a title shot against the reigning UFC Lightweight Champion, Eddie Alvarez, on either the UFC 205 or the UFC 206 fight card, with Dana White confirming the bout between the two for UFC 205.[50][51] However, on 26 September, the UFC announced that Alvarez would instead be defending the title against Conor McGregor.[52] Nurmagomedov voiced his displeasure on social media, calling Alvarez a "bullshit champ" for refusing the fight and opting for a bout with McGregor instead,[53] accusing the UFC of being a "freak show".[54]
In lieu of a title shot, Nurmagomedov next faced Michael Johnson on 12 November 2016, at UFC 205.[55] After being rocked in the first round, Nurmagomedov regained his composure and dominated the remainder of the fight, winning via submission in the third round.[56]
The bout with Ferguson was scheduled for a third time at UFC 209 on 4 March 2017, for the interim Lightweight Championship.[57]Nurmagomedov, however, fell ill because of a botched weight cut, and the bout was cancelled as a result.[58][59]
Nurmagomedov faced Edson Barboza on 30 December 2017, at UFC 219.[60]Nurmagomedov dominated all three rounds of the fight, taking Barboza down repeatedly and dominating the fight with ground and pound. He won the fight by unanimous decision.[61]This win also earned him his first Performance of the Night bonus.[62]
