Khabib Nurmagomedov will look to keep his undefeated run (28-0,12-0 UFC) going this Saturday night (Oct. 24, 2020) — which is set to go down inside Flash Forum located on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates — when he battles interim Lightweight champion Justin Gaethje at UFC 254.
But, it won’t be “The Eagle’s” first championship bout on “Fight Island,” as Nurmagomedov's last fight also took place in the same location long before the marketing geniuses over at UFC headquarters decided to stick that label on it during the worldwide pandemic.
Indeed, Nurmagomedov faced Dustin Poirier at UFC 242 in another title unification bout in Sept. 2019. And it didn’t take long for Poirier to realize just what kind of night it would be as Nurmagomedov took him down one minute into the fight, and then went on to control him on the ground for the first five minutes.
In round two, Poirier found some success on the feet during the opening minute, but after Khabib closed the distance, it was another round of having “The Eagle” on top of him raining down punishment. When on the feet, Khabib used his grappling to keep “Diamond” from firing off any offense.
In round three, Poirier managed to time one of Khabib’s takedown attempts well enough to latch on a guillotine choke attempt. While he did have it on tight for a moment, “The Eagle” managed to break free before eventually sinking in a rear-naked choke to put an end to the fight.
Now, “The Eagle” will look to earn another championship win in Abu Dhabi by eliminating Gaethje from his path to ending his storied career with an undefeated mark.
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 254 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. ET, then the remaining undercard balance on ESPN 2/ESPN+ at 12 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC 254: “Khabib vs. Gaethje” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.
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