Presented in partnership with UFC 242 on ESPN+
UFC lightweight champion Khabib “The Eagle” Nurmagomedov is finally returning to the Octagon.
Almost a year after his historic win over Conor McGregor, Nurmagomedov is set to make his second title defense. It’s been a rather wild ride for “The Eagle,” but anyone interested in seeing what the most dominant fighter in UFC history looks needs to tune in to the UFC 242 Pay Per View main card on ESPN+. It’s sure to be something spectacular.
For those unfamiliar with Nurmagomedov (the UFC prefers to just call him Khabib because, well, you know, it’s just easier to say), he’s responsible for one half of the highest selling pay per view fight in UFC history. His bout against McGregor set the all-time sales mark for an MMA fight with somewhere around 2.5-million units. To provide a little context, that’s more than Mike Tyson or Evander Holyfield ever sold for a single bout, only trailing the Mayweather-Pacquiao and Mayweather-McGregor fights in terms of combat sports overall.
Khabib is a beast of a wrestler. He’s got that smothering Sambo style where he feints with punches and moves in for the takedown. And he doesn’t need a full-body lock in order to send his opponent down to the mat. No, “The Eagle” needs only the slightest access to a foot, or a leg, or an ankle, and from there, he’s using his chain wrestling to overwhelm his adversaries. So impressive Khabib’s wrestling game, that he once took an opponent down 21 times in a 15-minute bout. Imagine this unstoppable force of a man slamming you to the ground seven times every five minutes … now that’s brutal.
If you dig around the internet, you’ll come across a video of Khabib wrestling a bear when he was just a child. It’s an amazing piece of visual media and speaks volumes about how he was raised in the mountains of Dagestan by his father Abdulmanap, a wrestling svengali who was a feared fighter in his own right.
For the first time in many years, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov will be in Khabib’s corner, offering his son specific gameplan instructions during the UFC 242 Pay Per View main event.
Khabib has been quite open about his desire to fight with his father by his side. Unfortunately, due to visa restrictions, Abdulmanap has not been able to enter the U.S. for quite some time, but with UFC 242 taking place at The Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Khabib and his father will be reunited for what is shaping up to be one of the most important fights of his 27 fight career.
For starters, Khabib, who is a devout Muslim, will fight in the Middle East for the first time. Now, that’s a big deal. He’s a major ambassador for combat sports in the Middle East and quite possibly the most high profile Russian and Muslim athlete on the planet — his 16-million Instagram followers are a testament to his gigantic star power.
In addition to his massive public appeal, Khabib is always fighting to stay perfect, and at 27-0, he’s remained undefeated since turning pro in 2008. It’s an extraordinary achievement in mixed martial arts, where most fighters, even the best, lose from time to time. Seriously, through 11 UFC fights, Khabib has dropped only a single round on the judges’ scorecards (the third round against McGregor). That’s the very definition of dominance.
Now, it can not be forgotten that Khabib’s return at UFC 242, his first fight on the ESPN+ platform, comes nearly a year after he incited a brawl following the UFC 229: Nurmagomedov vs. McGregor main event. Just moments after forcing McGregor to tap out due to a nasty fourth-round neck crank, Khabib flew out of the Octagon, feet first, attacking the opposing cornermen.
In one respect, it was a dark day for the UFC, but on the other hand, it was a pretty major statement by Nurmagomedov, who made it abundantly clear that he’s not to be messed with, both in and out of the competition. He’s, well, “bout that life,” as the kids say, unafraid to confront conflict and stare it dead in the eyes.
That’s exactly the type of fighter worth tuning in for, and exactly the type of champion who is full of conviction.
The UFC 242 Pay Per View main card on ESPN+ has another wrinkle in the deeply layered backstory. The fight is a title unification of sorts, as the UFC recently awarded an interim belt to Dustin “The Diamond” Poirier, a nasty boxer with black belt jiu-jitsu skills and a special type of hard-headed determination that has propelled him to the top of the division.
Poirier, when compared to Nurmagomedov’s previous UFC opponents, ranks as Khabib’s biggest test and threat, even mores o than McGregor, not only because of his heart, work ethic, and desire, not only because of his skill and acumen, but also because of his momentum and strength of schedule, which, on paper is more impressive than even Khabib’s.
Of course, this is not to say that Poirier should be favored in this matchup. He’s suffered first-round knockouts against two fighters — Conor McGregor and Michael Johnson — that Khabib submitted inside the distance. But Poirier’s recent success is enough to demonstrate that Nurmagomedov is in for the biggest challenge of his MMA career on one of the biggest nights of his life.
And remember, although it will be night time in Abu Dhabi, the UFC 242: Nurmagomedov vs. Poirier Pay Per View main card airs on ESPN+ at 2 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, 11 a.m. on the West Coast, so set those alarms and cancel your brunch plans because there’s going to be plenty of action, as this fight is full of major stakes in the future of the UFC lightweight division.
UFC 242 Pay Per View Main Card on ESPN+ (11 a.m. PST / 2 p.m. EST)*
Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Dustin Poirier
Edson Barboza vs. Paul Felder
Islam Makhachev vs. Davi Ramos
Curtis Blaydes vs. Shamil Abdurakhimov
Mairbek Taisumov vs. Diego Ferreira
UFC 242 Prelims*
Khalid Taha vs. Bruno Silva
Teemu Packalen vs. Ottman Azaitar
Joanne Calderwood vs. Andrea Lee
Sarah Moras vs. Liana Jojua
Belal Muhammad vs. Takashi Sato
Nordine Taleb vs. Muslim Salikhov
Zak Cummings vs. Omari Akhmedov
Don Madge vs. Fares Ziam
*Bout order subject to change
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