Khabib celebrates UFC victory. Photo: Reproduction/Twitter @ufcindia
Phenomenal. That's the word to sum it up Khabib Nurmagomedov. The Russian showed that, in addition to being a great athlete, he is capable of getting out of adversity by beating Dustin poirier in the main fight of UFC 242, held this Saturday (7), in Abu Dhabi, valid for the unification of the lightweight title (up to 70,3kg.). The North American showed a lot of courage during three rounds, but ended up succumbing to the champion's wrestling.
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Khabib and Poirier really set an example of how two champions should behave in the Octagon. It was a very well played three minutes with a chance of victory for both sides.
In the second and third rounds, the 'Diamond' almost shocked the world by putting Nurmagomedov in conditions close to defeat. In the second stage, the American almost managed to knock out the Russian after a good sequence of punches, however, Khabib managed to absorb the attacks and finish the fight.
In the third round, the scare. After an attempted takedown, 'Água' was almost submitted when he attempted a takedown on his opponent and ended up falling to the ground with a guillotine attached. The Russian, however, knew how to manage the situation and get out of the uncomfortable position.
With the victory, in addition to the title, Khabib maintained his unbeaten record and also increased the number of career achievements to 28.
The fight
Dustin took the initiative early on with a low kick. Khabib remained moving, waiting for the best moment to make his attack. Dustin remained cautious about releasing his blows, as he could be taken down by the Russian. The American's low kicks started to come in and, after feigning a blow, Nurmagomedov looked for his opponent's legs for the first time. Diamante managed to defend himself at first, but was soon put down. After an attempted defense by Dustin, Poirier made the mistake of turning his back to the Russian, who began his submission attempts. The American defended himself as best he could, but Nurmagomedov's experience on the ground was impressive. Diamante showed a lot of courage when he managed to get up, which made the audience applaud. It didn't take long for Khabib to take his opponent to the ground again. The Russian managed to land some good blows on Poirier, but there was no more time.
In the second stage, Dustin tried to score with jabs and low kicks. The Russian was surprised by a sequence of blows from Diamante and shook. The crowd went wild and Poirier went after it. The Russian started to walk back, trying to respond, but he was visibly shaken. Aware of the disadvantage, Khabib looked for another takedown and managed to cool off the duel. On the ground, the 'Eagle' began to attack the North American again and took control of the fight. Whenever Poirier managed to get up, the athlete was knocked down again.
The fighters returned, exchanging blows in the center of the octagon. Dustin continued to bet on crosses, which shook his opponent in the previous stage. After attempting a takedown, Porier surprised Khabib with a guillotine and came close to putting the Russian out, but Nurmagomedov knew how to have the patience to loosen the blow and get out of position. After the incident, Águia regained a good position on his opponent's back and managed to reach the neck and managed the submission without much struggle from the North American.
UFC 242 results
MAIN CARD
Light weight (up to 70,3kg): Khabib Nurmagomedov derrotou Dustin poirier via submission 2m06s into R3
Light weight (up to 70,3kg): Paul felder derrotou Edson Barboza in the judges' split decision (27-30, 28-29, 30-27)
Light weight (up to 70,3kg): Islam makhachev derrotou Davi ramos in the unanimous decision of the judges (30-26 29-27 30-26)
Heavy weight (up to 120,2kg): Curtis blaydes defeated Shamil Abdurakhimov by knockout at 2:22 of R2
Light weight (up to 70,3kg): Diego ferreira defeated Mairbek Taisumov via unanimous decision (29-28 29-27 29-27)
PRELIMINARY CARD
Flyweight (up to 56,7kg): Joanne calderwood derrotou Andrea Lee in the judges' split decision (29-28 28-29 27-30)
Featherweight (up to 65,7kg): Zubaira Tukhugov e Lerone murphy tied in the judges' decision (29-28 28-29 28-29)
Bantamweight (up to 61,2kg): Sarah Moras defeated Liana Jojua by knockout at 2m26s of R3
Light weight (up to 70,3kg.): Ottman azaitar defeated Teemu Packalen by knockout at 3:33 of R1
Welterweight (up to 77kg): Belal Muhammad | derrotou Takashi Sato via submission 1m55s into R3
Welterweight (up to 77kg): muslim salikhov defeated Nordine Taleb by technical knockout at 4:26 of R1
Average weight (up to 83,9kg): Omari Akhmedov defeated Zak Cummings via unanimous decision (30-27 29-28 30-27)
Light weight (up to 70,3kg.): Don Madge derrotou fares ziam in the unanimous decision of the judges (30-27 29-28 30-27)
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