Long hailed as the next great champion of the storied UFC lightweight division, undefeated Dagestani grappler Khabib Nurmagomedov (25-0) emboldened those beliefs in a huge way by demolishing formerly surging striker Edson Barboza in the co-main event of December 30’s UFC 219.
The only reason any semblance of doubt arose about “The Eagle’s” ascendance stemmed from his long and concerning history of injuries and weight-cutting issues, issues that have limited him to four fights in just under four years while his performance remains nothing less than stellar inside the Octagon when he does compete.
Thankfully, he’s now back at full health and showing why he’s perceived as the next champion. His three-round domination of Barboza ranked as one of the most one-sided bouts of 2017 as he racked up lopsided scores across the board with another brutal showing of ground mastery. The win has him on the precipice of fighting longtime rival Tony Ferguson for the interim belt while Conor McGregor sits back and decides what to do with the actual title next.
But no matter what McGregor decides to do, octagon color commentator Joe Rogan revealed why he believes Khabib is the most fearsome force at 155 pounds on a recent edition of The JRE MMA Show (via MMA Junkie). To him, the Dagestani’s dominance became evident by Barboza’s distant look while he had no way to deal with the mounting beatdown:
“He’s just on such another level that the odds of beating him drop significantly after the first minute-and-a-half,” Rogan said. “You saw the look on Barboza’s face: Two minutes in and he’s trying to get up. You saw the look on his face and it’s like, ‘(Expletive), how am I going to do deal with this?’ It’s just so next level.
“Khabib, after this performance, has set it up to a place where he’s the most terrifying lightweight contender in the world,” Rogan said.
Rogan also praised Ferguson while acknowledging the mess the UFC has at lightweight thanks to the uncertainty of McGregor’s return. With chaos abound in one of their most talented and potentially lucrative divisions, Rogan believes the UFC will soon get to work on fixing it:
“Then you have Tony Ferguson, who’s a (expletive), and has the interim championship, then you have Conor – who knows what happens with him? I think the UFC’s going to give him some time, let the holidays pass, see what the (expletive) happens and then make some moves.”
UFC president Dana White recently said he was hoping to have McGregor, who reportedly wants some sort of ownership or promoter’s stake in his next bout, ready to fight by March, but then said he would book Ferguson vs. Khabib for the interim belt sometime during that month with the winner eventually facing McGregor.
If “The Notorious” isn’t planning on returning until August or September, however, White then confirmed they would make Ferguson vs. Khabib for the real belt with pressure mounting from fans everywhere for McGregor to defend his belt.
It seems the talented Irishman’s antics are growing old with even his most devoted fans, and after a down year for UFC pay-per-views in 2017, the world’s MMA leader could use nothing more than a high-grossing title fight that also lent some degree of clarity to the lightweight landscape.
With McGregor involved and holding the cards, don’t expect that to come easily.
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