ABU DHABI – UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov continues to dominate, and he wants some respect.
Still undefeated, Nurmagomedov submitted Dustin Poirier in the third round at UFC 242 for his second successful title defense. And he believes after Saturday’s win, he should be considered the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
“You know what’s interesting in this sport? Even if you’re 28-0, 12-0 in UFC, you’re one of the biggest stars, you smash everybody, people (are) going to talk about, ‘You have to fight with him,’ ‘You have to fight with him,'” Nurmagomedov said at the UFC 242 post-fight news conference. “Give me respect. Put me (as the) No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter next week. I think I deserve this because I dominate all my opponents. I’m undefeated. I think I deserve some respect.”
Nurmagomedov (28-0 MMA, 12-0 UFC) was able to use his grappling, as usual, to control the fight with Poirier. A tough and resilient Poirier attempted to fire big shots on the feet and managed to sink in a guillotine choke that Nurmagomedov admitted was “close,” but was able to fight out of. Eventually his pressure was too much for Poirier, and he was able to latch onto his neck, forcing him to tap to a rear-naked choke.
It was another dominant win for Nurmagomedov, who just wants more respect.
