In one of the most anticipated MMA events in recent memory, Khabib Nurmagomedov defeated Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 to retain his UFC Lightweight Champion belt and extend his undefeated streak to 29 fights. This also turned out to be Nurmagomedov’s last MMA fight, as the Dagestan fighter announced his retirement in a post-match interview.

Before the fight, many MMA analysts predicted a close bout arguing that Gaethje represents one of Nurmagomedov’s toughest tests so far. However, it didn’t exactly turn out that way.

Despite not fighting for more than a year and having issues with his foot, Nurmagomedov dominated the fight and finished the job early in the second round. He managed to get Gaethje on the floor and administer a triangle choke that forced the American to tap out.

After spending several moments kneeling on the floor, with his head in his hands, emotional Nurmagomedov announced that this would be his last fight. The  32-year-old explained that he promised his mother that he would stop competing following his father’s death earlier this year.

“Today, I want to say this was my last fight,” said Nurmagomedov. “… It was my father’s dream. What else?”

“I promised her this was gonna be my last fight,” he added. “If I give my word, I have to follow this.”

Khabib Nurmagomedov walks away with a perfect 29-0 record. He is 13-0 since coming to UFC and has three consecutive UFC Lightweight Championship title defenses. This is tied for most in history with BJ Penn and Benson Henderson.

With Nurmagomedov’s retirement, the UFC Lightweight Champion belt now becomes vacated. The UFC considers several scenarios to get a new champion, with the fight between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier being the favorite.

The post Khabib Nurmagomedov Defeats Justin Gaethje at UFC 254, Retires After the Fight appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s decision to pull out of UFC 249 didn’t sit well with his challenger Tony Ferguson. According to Ferguson, Nurmagomedov’s refusal to fight him should cost him his lightweight champion title.

Nurmagomedov was set to defend his title against Ferguson on April 18th. However, the Dagestan fighter decided to skip the event due to concerns over the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, announcing the news on social media on Wednesday and saying he is in quarantine.

Ferguson, on the other hand, thinks his opponent is “scared and running” and should lose his belt.

“He should be stripped of his title,” said Ferguson in a recent interview with SportsCenter.

“He obviously knew what he could do to help save this card,” he added. “He didn’t want to take any of those chances. Everybody is taking risks trying to do it. He bailed out, man. It’s pretty hard to explain, but he bailed out, man.”

Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov never met before although their fights have been scheduled on five different occasions. Each time, the fight was canceled as one of the fighters was injured or ill.

Ferguson has 25-3 record, having lost his last fight back in 2012. He held Interim UFC Lightweight Championship title between October 2017 and April 2018.

Nurmagomedov, on the other hand, has 28-0 record. He won the vacant UFC Lightweight Championship in 2018 against Al Iaquinta and defended it successfully twice.

The post Tony Ferguson Says Khabib Nurmagomedov Should Be “Stripped of His Title” appeared first on SportzBonanza.

In one of the most anticipated MMA events in recent memory, Khabib Nurmagomedov defeated Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 to retain his UFC Lightweight Champion belt and extend his undefeated streak to 29 fights. This also turned out to be Nurmagomedov’s last MMA fight, as the Dagestan fighter announced his retirement in a post-match interview.

Before the fight, many MMA analysts predicted a close bout arguing that Gaethje represents one of Nurmagomedov’s toughest tests so far. However, it didn’t exactly turn out that way.

Despite not fighting for more than a year and having issues with his foot, Nurmagomedov dominated the fight and finished the job early in the second round. He managed to get Gaethje on the floor and administer a triangle choke that forced the American to tap out.

After spending several moments kneeling on the floor, with his head in his hands, emotional Nurmagomedov announced that this would be his last fight. The  32-year-old explained that he promised his mother that he would stop competing following his father’s death earlier this year.

“Today, I want to say this was my last fight,” said Nurmagomedov. “… It was my father’s dream. What else?”

“I promised her this was gonna be my last fight,” he added. “If I give my word, I have to follow this.”

Khabib Nurmagomedov walks away with a perfect 29-0 record. He is 13-0 since coming to UFC and has three consecutive UFC Lightweight Championship title defenses. This is tied for most in history with BJ Penn and Benson Henderson.

With Nurmagomedov’s retirement, the UFC Lightweight Champion belt now becomes vacated. The UFC considers several scenarios to get a new champion, with the fight between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier being the favorite.

The post Khabib Nurmagomedov Defeats Justin Gaethje at UFC 254, Retires After the Fight appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s decision to pull out of UFC 249 didn’t sit well with his challenger Tony Ferguson. According to Ferguson, Nurmagomedov’s refusal to fight him should cost him his lightweight champion title.

Nurmagomedov was set to defend his title against Ferguson on April 18th. However, the Dagestan fighter decided to skip the event due to concerns over the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, announcing the news on social media on Wednesday and saying he is in quarantine.

Ferguson, on the other hand, thinks his opponent is “scared and running” and should lose his belt.

“He should be stripped of his title,” said Ferguson in a recent interview with SportsCenter.

“He obviously knew what he could do to help save this card,” he added. “He didn’t want to take any of those chances. Everybody is taking risks trying to do it. He bailed out, man. It’s pretty hard to explain, but he bailed out, man.”

Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov never met before although their fights have been scheduled on five different occasions. Each time, the fight was canceled as one of the fighters was injured or ill.

Ferguson has 25-3 record, having lost his last fight back in 2012. He held Interim UFC Lightweight Championship title between October 2017 and April 2018.

Nurmagomedov, on the other hand, has 28-0 record. He won the vacant UFC Lightweight Championship in 2018 against Al Iaquinta and defended it successfully twice.

The post Tony Ferguson Says Khabib Nurmagomedov Should Be “Stripped of His Title” appeared first on SportzBonanza.