Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
It’s been almost a year since the lightweight champion last stepped into the Octagon. And when he did, it was for an epic win against Conor McGregor—along with a notorious post fight brawl.
October 6th, 2018, will always be a night to remember in UFC history. On that day, the world’s largest MMA organization set a new high watermark for PPV sales, with champion Khabib Nurmagomedov defending his belt for the very first time—against combat sports superstar Conor McGregor.
For McGregor the bout against Nurmagomedov marks the only time the former ‘double champ’ has been seen inside the Octagon, since winning the belt against Eddie Alvarez in 2016. The time in-between, for the ‘Notorious’ Irishman, included his participation in one of boxing’s all-time highest grossing PPVs against Floyd Mayweather Jr.—as well as a string of legal troubles. He has been teasing a return to action sometime in late 2019, but so far no actual return bout has been set.
For Khabib, his victory over McGregor was somewhat overshadowed by the brawl he and members of his entourage started, immediately following the fight. The ‘Eagle’ practically flew over the cage and into the crowd to attack McGregor teammate Dillon Danis. Meanwhile, Team Khabib training partners Zubaira Tukhugov and Abubakar Nurmagomedov made their way into the Octagon to throw hands with the recently defeated SBG Ireland fighter. The resulting suspensions have seen the Dagestani lightweight champ stay sidelined for most of 2019.
Nurmagomedov’s return to action, however, is much more certain. The champion is set to defend his belt, once again, on September 7th, in Abu Dhabi—against Dustin Poirier, at UFC 242. Poirier captured a piece of the title himself, in an interim bout against Max Holloway, back in April—during Nurmagomedov’s suspension. Their fight, this Saturday morning, will unify those titles.
So get ready for what should be a thrilling day of UFC action by diving back into the champion’s last fight, and one of the most memorable nights in MMA history.