Khabib Nurmagomedov returns to action at UFC 242, where he puts his UFC lightweight title, and his undefeated record, on the line against interim champion Dustin Poirier.
But it was at UFC 205 when it truly became clear that Dagestan’s favorite son was well on his way to the championship, and nothing was going to stop him.
That was the night — the UFC’s first-ever event at New York’s Madison Square Garden — in which Nurmagomedov (27-0 MMA; 11-0 UFC) thoroughly dismantles one of the game’s toughest customers in Michael Johnson.
Not only did “The Eagle” pick Johnson apart before finishing him with a Kimura at the 2:32 mark of the third round, but he engaged in a chat with UFC president Dana White, who was sitting cage side, as he dished out the beating.
In hindsight, it should have been little surprise that Nurmagomedov would become champion sooner rather than later. That came to pass just under 16 months later, just a few miles away in Brooklyn, when he beat Al Iaquinta for the vacant title at UFC 223.
So as you get set for the Nurmagomedov-Poirier fight on Sept. 7 on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, re-live one of the defining evening’s in Nurmagomedov’s rise to the top. You can check out out Nurmagomedov-Johnson in the video linked above.
