UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov looked seriously relieved to have successfully weighed in at 155lbs ahead of his main event match-up with Justin Gaethje tomorrow evening.
Nurmagomedov is one of the bigger lightweight guys and has had previous issues with making the limit. He missed weight for his foruth UFC bout against Abel Trujillo in 2013. Nurmagomedov was also infamously hospitalized due to weigh cutting issues ahead of his third failed fight with long-time rival, Tony Ferguson.
Earlier today it was clear he’d had similar problems ahead of UFC 254 when he stripped nude before hitting the scales. A look of uncertainty can be seen etched across his face as he awaits to hear his official weight. UFC commentator Jon Anik announced. “155. The official weight for Khabib Nurmagomedov”. ‘The Eagle’ hears that and immediately puts his hand to his face in relief before posing for pictures and getting dressed – check out the video below.
Khabib Nurmagomedov looked relieved on the scale after making championship weight of 155 pounds for the #UFC254 main event
@espnmma pic.twitter.com/3XgfHEXv78
— ESPN (@espn) October 23, 2020
The 32-year-old has looked as close to perfect as humanly possible since joining the UFC back in 2012. Nurmagomedov has won 11 straight fights, rarely dropping a round. He holds high-profile wins over the likes of Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Rafael Dos Anjos. Nurmagomedov will fight for the first time in more than a year in Abu Dhabi this coming weekend. It’ll also the first time he’s competing since his father and mentor Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov passed away.
Gaethje who seemed to have a much easier cut is currently riding high off the back of the biggest win of his career against Tony Ferguson at UFC 249 which stretched his unbeaten run to four. ‘The Highlight’ previously scored three consecutive first-round KO wins over James Vick, Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone, and Edson Barboza to establish himself as one of the best and most dangerous 155lb fighters on the planet.
Do you think a tough weight cut could hamper Khabib Nurmagomedov ahead of his UFC 254 main event match-up against Justin Gaethje?