Tag: UFC 242

Khabib Beginning Camp For Dustin Poirier Title Defense In September

Khabib Nurmagomedov is ready to get back to work. “The Eagle” currently reigns as the lightweight champion of the world. Now, with Dustin Poirier also capturing UFC lightweight gold, the pair will unify their titles at a later date. Although not confirmed, all signs point to September 7 at UFC 242 on pay-per-view (PPV). Khabib’s […]

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Khabib Nurmagomedov is ready to get back to work.

“The Eagle” currently reigns as the lightweight champion of the world. Now, with Dustin Poirier also capturing UFC lightweight gold, the pair will unify their titles at a later date. Although not confirmed, all signs point to September 7 at UFC 242 on pay-per-view (PPV).

Khabib’s coach, Javier Mendez, took to Instagram and announced the undefeated champion is preparing to begin camp for the fight:

“Excited to start camp with the ? @khabib_nurmagomedov for Sept 7th @ufc Abu Dhabi against a very tough challenge in Dustin Poirier. But at end of that Night?????it will be and Still”

Poirier captured the interim lightweight title by defeating featherweight champion Max Holloway at UFC 236 last month (Sat. April 13, 2019). Now, “The Diamond” will get his crack at handing Nurmagomedov the first defeat of his professional mixed martial arts (MMA) career.

Khabib last competed in October when he submitted Conor McGregor in his first-ever title defense. The Russian locked in a neck crank in the fourth round that forced “Notorious” to tap out. However, after the fight, Khabib jumped the cage and sparked a team versus team brawl.

After paying his fine and serving his suspension, he’ll be eligible to return in Abu Dhabi on September 7.

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Curtis Blaydes vs. Shamil Abdurakhimov Nearly Finalized For UFC 242

A heavyweight bout between Curtis Blaydes and Shamil Abdurakhimov is close to being finalized for UFC 242. A recent report from Farah Hannoun about the matchup was verified by Abdurakhimov on Instagram on Friday. He claims he has signed his part of the contract and is waiting for Blaydes to make it official. The Russian […]

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A heavyweight bout between Curtis Blaydes and Shamil Abdurakhimov is close to being finalized for UFC 242.

A recent report from Farah Hannoun about the matchup was verified by Abdurakhimov on Instagram on Friday. He claims he has signed his part of the contract and is waiting for Blaydes to make it official.

The Russian has won his last three fights as well as five of his last six. His victims include Marcin Tybura, Andrei Arlovski and Walt Harris. As a result, he is currently ranked No. 10 in the rankings.

As for Blaydes, he recently bounced back from his second defeat to Francis Ngannou with a dominant unanimous decision victory over Justin Willis earlier this year. The Illinois native has won five of his last six bouts and is currently ranked No. 4 in the rankings. He also holds wins over Alistair Overeem, Mark Hunt and Aleksei Oleinik.

UFC 242 takes place September 7 in Abu Dhabi and is expected to be headlined by a title unification clash between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Dustin Poirier. It is not official, however.

Here’s how the card is shaping up so far:

  • Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Dustin Poirier
  • Curtis Blaydes vs. Shamil Abdurakhimov
  • Belal Muhammad vs. Takashi Sato
  • Ottman Azaitar vs. Teemu Packalen

The post Curtis Blaydes vs. Shamil Abdurakhimov Nearly Finalized For UFC 242 appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Curtis Blaydes vs. Shamil Abdurakhimov In The Works For UFC 242

UFC 242 which is set to go down in Abu Dhabi has added a very intriguing heavyweight bout between Curtis Blaydes and Shamil Abdurakhimov. The news of the fight was first reported by Farah Hannoun on Twitter. Blaydes last fought at UFC Nashville where h…

UFC 242 which is set to go down in Abu Dhabi has added a very intriguing heavyweight bout between Curtis Blaydes and Shamil Abdurakhimov. The news of the fight was first reported by Farah Hannoun on Twitter. Blaydes last fought at UFC Nashville where he beat Justin Willis by unanimous decision. The win got him […]

The post Curtis Blaydes vs. Shamil Abdurakhimov In The Works For UFC 242 appeared first on MMA News.

Dustin Poirier Breaks Down Potential Fight Against Khabib Nurmagomedov

After Dustin Poirier beat Max Holloway to win the interim lightweight belt at UFC 236 all signs points to him fighting Khabib Nurmagomedov next. And, now, even Nurmagomedov’s manager in Ali Abdelaziz says that fight is close to being finalized wi…

After Dustin Poirier beat Max Holloway to win the interim lightweight belt at UFC 236 all signs points to him fighting Khabib Nurmagomedov next. And, now, even Nurmagomedov’s manager in Ali Abdelaziz says that fight is close to being finalized with it expecting to happen in Abu Dhabi at UFC 242. With Poirier hoping to […]

The post Dustin Poirier Breaks Down Potential Fight Against Khabib Nurmagomedov appeared first on MMA News.

Dustin Poirier Doesn’t Need Khabib To ‘Gas Out’ To Win

UFC interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier is confident he will emerge victorious against Khabib Nurmagomedov. Poirier is expected to challenge the lightweight champion in a title unification fight at UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi on September 7. Despite an impressive win over Max Holloway to win the interim belt last month, many still see “The […]

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UFC interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier is confident he will emerge victorious against Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Poirier is expected to challenge the lightweight champion in a title unification fight at UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi on September 7. Despite an impressive win over Max Holloway to win the interim belt last month, many still see “The Diamond” as a huge underdog in this matchup.

There has also been a narrative that the best chance for him to win is for Nurmagomedov to slow down later on in the fight. However, Poirier believes he is simply the better fighter and is capable of ending it early on as well.

“There’s not like one thing that’s glaring at me that we need to work on it’s just my overall game and being a better fighter,” Dustin Poirier said on Below the Belt’s Food Truck Diaries with Brendan Schaub (via BJPenn.com). “We have to make holes by just performing out there. I will and can [get back up after being taken down]. I create space with my jiujitsu. I don’t think people know how long I’ve been doing jiujitsu. As long as I’ve been fighting – before I ever fought. I’ve been doing jiujitsu 14 or 15 years, I’m a black belt. I’m gonna create space with submissions and put him in danger and make him have to respect me and then I’ll get up.

“It’s gonna be a scrap but I’m gonna make him make mistakes and we’ll see what happens. If he slows down, it’s gonna go downhill for him. I think with my overall game, I can cause threats and problems for him early on as well. I don’t need him to gas out to win this fight.”

Poirier Will Beat The Odds

Poirier has opened as the betting underdog in four of his last six fights. He hasn’t lost any of them, however. He expects a repeat to happen when he and “The Eagle” eventually collide.

“Against all odds, I’ll get it done, man,” Poirier added. It’s the story of my life.”

The title unification fight is not yet official, but one can expect an announcement soon, especially with Nurmagomedov’s teammates being eligible to compete on the same card after their sentences were reduced.

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Khabib Nurmagomedov Reacts To Teammates’ Reduced NSAC Suspensions

Earlier today (Wed. May 22, 2019) it was announced that UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov’s teammates, Abubakar Nurmagomedov and Zubaira Tukhugov, had their Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) suspensions reduced by 35 days. This potentially allows them to fight alongside Khabib in Abu Dhabi at UFC 242, where he’s expected to defend his 155-pound title against […]

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Earlier today (Wed. May 22, 2019) it was announced that UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov’s teammates, Abubakar Nurmagomedov and Zubaira Tukhugov, had their Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) suspensions reduced by 35 days.

This potentially allows them to fight alongside Khabib in Abu Dhabi at UFC 242, where he’s expected to defend his 155-pound title against interim champ Dustin Poirier. Shortly after the news, Khabib took to Instagram to comment:

“OFFICIAL The Nevada State Athletic Commission issued a verdict on the @zubairatukhugov and @abubakar_nurmagomedov case. The commission reduced the removal of fighters by 35 days, so Zubayra and Abubakar can fight on # UFC242 in Abu Dhabi! We are ready and we coming InshaAllah. DreamTeam and real Family”

Khabib hasn’t fought since October when he defeated Conor McGregor. “The Eagle” submitted the Irishman in the fourth round via neck crank. It was the first title defense of the undefeated Russian’s career. Now, he’ll take on Poirier, who put up an impressive showing against 145-pound champion Max Holloway to capture the interim title.

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