UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov to defend his belt and legacy against interim champion Justin Gaethje
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a big impact on the world of combat sports. Not only have the athletes been deprived of fighting to financially provide for their families, but they’ve also suffered human loss.
Such was the case for UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, who lost his mentor, coach and father, Abdulmanap, due to complications from a coronavirus infection.
Prior to his great loss, Nurmagomedov was unable to leave his home country of Russia to defend his title against a top contender. As a result, talented prospect and underdog Justin Gaethje replaced Nurmagomedov on short notice, earning the biggest win of his career and gaining the interim lightweight title.
Now, upon the lifting of travel restrictions, the two will be headlining UFC 254 on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 24, perhaps letting go of their past sorrows, difficulties and doubts, and unifying the lightweight belts in the process.
With a perfect record of 28 wins, Nurmagomedov has dominated all of his previous opponents in the past 12 years, holding the record for the longest undefeated streak in MMA. As a former combat sambo world champion who was raised on the principles of wrestling, his unmatchable grappling skills pose a challenge for MMA newcomers as well as the sport’s superstars. As a matter of fact, Nurmagomedov’s wrestling abilities come so naturally that as a youngster, he would casually grapple with grizzly bear cubs – if you have a hard time believing, Google it and see the footage for yourself!
On the other hand, Gaethje is not a fighter to underestimate. Before he joined the UFC in 2017, Gaethje was the lightweight champion of the World Series of Fighting MMA organization where he maintained an undefeated record. Although he had a couple of hiccups in his UFC debut, his recent performances against the division’s most feared contenders proved to everyone that he deserved to face the best man in the division for the belt.
Now, the real question is who is going to be the better man on fight night. Due to the pandemic, neither one has been able to fight as frequently as before, which could lead to potential ‘ring rust’ – a decline in performance as a result of a long absence from the fight scene.
Moreover, this will be the first time that Nurmagomedov will not have his late father and coach in his corner for strategy advice and emotional support. However, many believe that this will motivate him even more, as he will do everything in his power to score a win in memory of his father.
Although Gaethje will be the betting underdog, he will most likely come in more confident than ever as a result of his most recent win and obtainment of the interim belt. The rest is a question of physical preparedness and whether each fighter is willing to push things to the limit to come out victorious at the end of the night. It will be no surprise to see Nurmagomedov employ his top-notch wrestling skills, as we have seen him neutralize his opponents’ attacks by accomplishing successful takedowns and demolishing them with ground-and-pound strikes.
As this solid game plan has worked for him most times, it will be sensible for him to rely on it once again as his main resort in this fight. It would be logical for Gaethje to have prepared for such offensive wrestling, but to make himself more distinguishable in this fight, he needs to focus on out-boxing Nurmagomedov and maintaining proper range when exchanging shots to protect against takedowns. As this will be a 25-minute fight, it will be important for both fighters to have a well-planned strategy and be mindful of energy expenditures.
Now, the wait is almost over: will Nurmagomedov’s professional record remain pristine, or would Gaethje shock the world and silence his doubters? Regardless of the outcome on Oct. 24, rest assured that this fight will go down in MMA history. So sit back and enjoy the bout ladies and gentlemen — we are in for a treat.
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