In the eyes of many, Khabib Nurmagomedov is one of, if not the greatest mixed martial artists of all time.
Walking away from the sport in 2020 amid an impressive 29-0 run and a UFC lightweight world title reign, ‘The Eagle’ has continued to have a significant impact in the sport through those he trains — most notably the UFC’s current 155-pound champion, Islam Makhachev. Nurmagomedov has also helped his cousins, Usman and Umar Nurmagomedov achieve greatness in the cage.
The former is the reigning Bellator lightweight champion while the latter is the UFC’s No. 2 ranked bantamweight and is the odds-on favorite to challenge new titleholder Merab Dvalishvili.
But we’re not here to talk about their accomplishments. Today, we look back at the five greatest moments of Khabib Nurmagomedov’s illustrious career.
No. 5 – ‘The Eagle’ Makes his Debut at UFC 148
When talking about the best moments in Nurmagomedov’s career, it’s probably best to start at the very beginning. On July 7, 2012, ‘The Eagle’ introduced himself to fight fans at UFC on FX 1 against WEC veteran Kamal Shalorus.
Nurmagomedov put on a relentless pace from the get-go and dominated the ‘Prince of Persia’ before finishing things just past the two-minute mark of the third round with a rear-naked choke. It was just the first of 13 total fights Nurmagomedov would win inside the Octagon, including seven finishes.
No. 4 – Khabib Chokes out ‘The Diamond’
After securing a successful defense of the UFC lightweight championship 11 months prior, Nurmagomedov returned to headline UFC 242 against a streaking Dustin Poirier at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi — otherwise known as Fight Island. The Diamond’ went into the bout riding a massive wave of momentum, earning wins over Anthony ‘Showtime’ Pettis, Justin Gaethje, Eddie Alvarez, and Max Holloway.
Many thought that Poirier’s impeccable boxing skills would get the job done against the Dagestani’s grapple-heavy attack. Unfortunately for fans of Poirier, that was not the case.
Khabib dominated the fight with his relentless pressure and smothering top game before finally forcing the Lafayette, Louisiana native to tap out before the halfway point of the third round. With Poirier walking into the bout as the interim lightweight champion, ‘The Eagle’ successfully unified the belts and further established himself as one of the P4P best in the world.
No. 3 – Dominating Michael Johnson
Though it was his eighth career fight inside the Octagon, Khabib Nurmagomedov had not quite reached superstar status — until this fight.
At the time, Johnson had established himself as a formidable foe going 5-2 in his last seven fights, including wins over Joe Lauzon, Gleison Tibau, Edson Barboza, and Dustin Poirier. However, he was no match for the Dagestani. As Johnson tried to let his hands go, Nurmagomedov took ‘The Menace’ down swiftly and completely overwhelmed the American on the mat.
While in top control, ‘The Eagle’ infamously yelled at Dana White cageside, lobbying for a UFC title fight in the middle of a scrap. Nurmagomedov’s ability to nullify an elite striker while simultaneously negotiating with the promotion’s CEO made the undefeated star must-see TV overnight.
No. 2 – Nurmagomedov Retires Undefeated
Nurmagomedov’s final career fight came against one of the UFC’s most celebrated strikers, Justin Gaethje. ‘The Highlight’ earned his shot via a five-round shellacking of former interim titleholder Tony Ferguson at UFC 249. Gaethje hoped to deliver a similar performance, but ‘The Eagle’ had other plans.
Despite carrying the heartache of losing his father three months prior, Nurmagomedov was on top form during their UFC 254 headliner in Abu Dhabi.
As he’d done so many times before, Nurmagomedov’s relentless pressure right out of the gate put Gaethje into survival mode early. 94 seconds into the second round, things came to an end after ‘The Eagle’ seamlessly transitioned into a triangle choke and put Gaethje to sleep.
Following the win, an emotional Nurmagomedov announced to the world that he was officially retiring from the sport, vowing to never fight again following the loss of his father. He walked away with a perfect 29-0 record and three title defenses against three of the absolute best fighters the lightweight division has ever seen.
No. 1 – Khabib Throws Down with Conor McGregor
This one should come as no surprise.
Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor was without a doubt the most anticipated fight in UFC history. It was just a battle between the two biggest names in the lightweight division — it was a clash of larger-than-life superstars who had completely dominated the competition up to that point. Adding to the intrigue of their matchup was the all-too-real hatred between the two combatants.
Long before the two titans stepped into the Octagon at UFC 229, McGregor and Nurmagomedov made headlines after the Irishman and his entourage infamously attacked a bus they believed was carrying the Dagestani. McGregor launched a dolly into one of the vehicle’s windows, shattering a glass that caused both injury and trauma to fighters onboard, including ‘Thug’ Rose Namajunas and Michael Chiesa.
Once the two were locked inside the cage, it was clear that Nurmagomedov was levels above the former two-division titleholder. ‘The Eagle’ dominated the action from the opening bell up until the moment he forced ‘Mystic Mac’ to tap out via a rear-naked choke at the 3:03 mark of round four. Of course, the fight was far from done.
Immediately after winning, Nurmagomedov hopped the fence and went after McGregor’s corner — specifically the Irish megastar’s BJJ coach, Dillon Danis, who had been talking trash to Nurmagomedov from the sidelines.
McGregor vs. Nurmagomedov had everything. Drama, chaos, technical mastery, and the highest of stakes. That’s why their iconic clash in Las Vegas is still one of the highest gates in UFC history and the hottest-selling pay-per-view of all time, securing 2.4 million buys.