Khabib Nurmagomedov. While it may not be the easiest name to pronounce, it's a name that should be associated with greatness in mixed martial arts. The undefeated Russian fighter is finally set to enter his first UFC title fight after four failed attempts to face interim champion Tony Ferguson, and now he'll get to do so on the biggest stage available at the Barclays Center, headlining UFC 223 against featherweight champion Max Holloway.
Nurmagomedov (25-0) will look to remain perfect against easily his toughest challenge to date, but that shouldn't stop you from realizing how great of a fighter he has been throughout his decade-long career. Nurmagomedov is a bit of a victim of circumstance, given the way that either his body has betrayed him or opponents suffer injuries ahead of his scheduled appearances.
Since joining UFC in 2011, Nurmagomedov has had eight fights canceled or postponed for one reason or another. Most recently, Nurmagomedov and Ferguson have each had serious injury scares put off a showdown that's been scheduled four times in the last three years. First, Nurmagomedov pulled out of their bout in 2015 with an undisclosed injury. Then, Ferguson pulled out of their 2016 scheduled fight two weeks before when he found out he had blood and fluid in his lung. And prior to the latest cancellation, Nurmagomedov pulled out of their scheduled headliner last year two days before because of issues cutting weight. Now, Ferguson is out of the main event after tripping over a cord during a media event where he tore his LCL "off the bone," according to Dana White.
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Nurmagomedov also missed most of 2017 while recovering from a hernia injury. Given that he makes it to the Octagon on April 7 to face Holloway should be considered a victory in and of itself, but a win for "The Eagle" should mean he remains the single most dominant force at 155 pounds in the last 15 years.
Yes, Benson Henderson and Gilbert Melendez had their long reigns as champions in Strikeforce and WEC. Eddie Alvarez had a tremendous run as an "underground king" with DREAM and Bellator MMA. BJ Penn is a legend of the sport for his willingness to fight at any weight, any time. But what Nurmagomedov has been able to do against the men he is placed in the cage against has been downright scary.
His raw wrestling ability has carried him to this point, with an almost GSP-like approach to winning fights on the ground. He won't knock you out with his standup boxing game, but he will grind his elbows into your cheek and chin while pounding opponents into submission.
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Just ask Michael Johnson, who Nurmagomedov famously told to quit during their UFC 205 fight in November 2016 before securing a Kimura submission. Ask Edson Barboza who somehow made it to the end of their fight at UFC 219, but lost on an unheard 30-25, 30-25, 30-24 decision on the judges' scorecards.
"For Max, it's going to be a long night. I respect him, it's going to be a long night," Nurmagomedov said at the pre-fight press conference. "Because Max is going to try to knock me out in front of my own people, my team, my friends, family. When cage close, I'm going to give him a hard 25 minutes."
Penn may be considered the best lightweight for his five-fight run as the 155-pound champion in 2008-09, but losses to GSP, Frankie Edgar (three times) and Jens Pulver, as well as division jumping more than any fighter besides Kenny Florian could make it a tough argument to me.
If Nurmagomedov hadn't been bitten by the injury bug over the last six years, we could be talking about an all-time great. Who knows, maybe that time is still ahead for the 29-year-old. Maybe a date with Conor McGregor is in his future. Maybe a move to 170 for superfights with Tyron Woodley, or even the legend himself, Georges St-Pierre.
While it is a bit late to have a "career-defining" fight 25 bouts in, Nurmagomedov has finally gotten here. Through all the injuries, through all the posturing, "The Eagle" has landed in the main event. Now, he must get through the challenge ahead. Nurmagomedov must beat Max Holloway.
If he does so convincingly, we could be talking about the pound-for-pound best in the sport.
