MMA WeeklyFor the second time in Khabib Nurmagomedov’s career, he lost a round at UFC 254
Khabib Nurmagomedov defended his lightweight title on Saturday defeating Justin Gaethje by submission in the second round of the UFC 254 main event. His performance was quickly overshadowed when "The Eagle" announced his retirement. The 32-year-old took off his gloves at Flash Forum on UFC Fight Island in Abu Dhabi and laid them in the Octagon. After 29 fights and 12 years of fighting, Nurmagomedov fought for the last time. His dominance in the 155-pound division is difficult to put in perspective. In his entire career, Nurmagomdov never lost a bout and only lost two rounds. In 60 rounds of fighting, he only lost two rounds. The first time Nurmagomedov was scored losing a round came in his UFC 229 title fight against Conor McGregor. He dominated the first and second rounds and finished McGregor in the fourth. In the third, judges Derek Cleary, Sal D'Amato, and Junichiro Kamijo scored McGregor winning the frame 10-9. UFC 229: Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor scorecard The second time Nurmagomedov lost a round was on Saturday against Gaethje. Two of the three judges, Ben Cartlidge and Sal A'Mato, scored the first frame 10-9 for Gaethje, while judge Derek Cleary scored the round 10-9 for Nurmagomedov. UFC 254: Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Justin Gaethje scorecard TRENDING > Khabib Nurmagomedov issues his first statement following UFC 254 victory and retirement Related Video > Fighters react to Khabib's surprise UFC 254 retirement (Subscribe to MMAWeekly.com on YouTube)
MMA WeeklyKhabib Nurmagomedov issues his first statement following UFC 254 victory and retirement
UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov had one of the greatest performances of his career when he choked out Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 on Fight Island on Saturday. Immediately after the fight, he broke down in tears, having lost his father over the summer. Khabib had few words following the fight. He used his post-fight interview to thank his father and his team, and to announce his retirement. “Today I want to say, this was my last fight. No way I can come here without my father,” said Khabib. “I promised (my mother) this would be my last fight.” Following his post-fight interview, Khabib, despite his retirement, opted out of the usual post-fight press conference, leaving others to reflect upon his performance and surprise retirement announcement. A short time later, Khabib took to his Instagram account to issue a post-fight statement. As is his nature, that statement focused not on himself, but on his father. "When ALLAH with you, nobody can broke you, nobody 👊⚔️Thanks Father for everything, you teach all my life, may ALLAH grant you the highest Paradise." View this post on Instagram When ALLAH with you, nobody can broke you, nobody 👊⚔️ Thanks Father for everything, you teach all my life, may ALLAH grant you the highest Paradise 🤲 - Когда Всевышний с тобой ни что тебя не сломает, абсолютно ничто. Спасибо Отец за все, чему ты меня научил в этой жизни, дай Аллах тебе наивысшую ступень Рая 🤲 A post shared by Khabib Nurmagomedov (@khabib_nurmagomedov) on Oct 24, 2020 at 4:04pm PDT TRENDING > Justin Gaethje addresses UFC 254 loss to Khabib: ‘He just made his father so proud’ Related Video > Fighters react to Khabib's surprise UFC 254 retirement (Subscribe to MMAWeekly.com on YouTube)
MMA WeeklyJustin Gaethje addresses UFC 254 loss to Khabib: ‘He just made his father so proud’
There was little negativity between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje in the lead-up to Saturday's UFC 254 on Fight Island. There was none following the fight either. After Khabib submitted Gaethje in the second round, he knelt down in the middle of the Octagon and began sobbing, presumably over the loss of his father over the summer. When Gaethje awoke from being choked out, he joined Khabib in the center of the Octagon, kneeled down, and gave him a hub. In his post-fight comments with the UFC's Megan Olive, Gaethje said that he simply told Khabib that his father would be so proud of him. Listen in as Gaethje breaks down his loss to Khabib and the rapport between them. (Video courtesy of UFC) TRENDING > UFC 254 results: Khabib Nurmagomedov puts Justin Gaethje to sleep, retires in a ball of emotion Was Dana White right? Is Khabib now the best pound for pound fighter? (Subscribe to MMAWeekly.com on YouTube)
