Khabib Nurmagomedov is in the house. The UFC lightweight champion showed up on fight island to support his teammate, Zubaira Tukhugov.
Zubaira Tukhugov takes on Hakeem Dawodu in the main card of UFC 253. He will not be at his best since he missed weight for this featherweight showdown by 5 lbs. And nothing would mean more to him at the moment than the presence of Khabib Nurmagomedov in his corner.
Zubaira Tukhugov is one of the up and coming fighters in the UFC roster with an impressive record of 19 wins and 4 losses. However, he is yet to become a notable superstar in UFC.
But, the presence of Khabib Nurmagomedov in his corner tonight will surely bring in some eyeballs on his skillsets and might even help him bag his 20th professional win.
Can Justin Gaethje put an end to the streak of Khabib Nurmagomedov?
Khabib Nurmagomedov will be making his presence felt again on Fight Island for UFC 254 where he takes on Justin Gaethje, the lightweight interim champion.
Many believe this is going to be the toughest fight of Khabib Nurmagomedov’s career, a notion that gets brought up every time Khabib gets into the octagon. But, without a doubt, Khabib Nurmagomedov is way ahead of the curve.
He does not have a secret weapon. He is one of the most predictable champions we have seen. We know he is going to take his opponents down, prove that his striking is as effective as any, and finish the fight with a submission or win a dominant decision.
But, no one has been able to find the solution to this puzzle yet. Justin Gaethje does have the wrestling pedigree an opponent needs to give some challenge to Khabib. But with the Eagle, it’s not about whether you can defend his takedown attempts. It’s about how long you can defend his takedowns.
Justin Gaethje’s striking can be a problem for the lightweight champion. He has the power and he has the accuracy. He put up a stellar performance against Tony Ferguson, the former interim champion. And to say that he will be the toughest test of Khabib will not be illogical.
But to defeat Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje had to do something special, something never seen before.