KHABIB NURMAGOMEDOV CEMENTED his position as the undisputed UFC lightweight champion and took his undefeated record to 28-0 with victory over Dustin Poirier in Abu Dhabi.
Nurmagomedov won by rear naked choke after 2:06 of the third round in the UFC 242 main event.
It was the Russian’s first fight since serving a lengthy suspension for his part in the ugly melee that followed his victory over Conor McGregor at UFC 229, but Nurmagomedov did not miss a step.
It now remains to be seen if UFC can finally make the long-awaited matchup between Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson, who hasn’t lost a UFC fight in more than seven years.
Nurmagomedov controlled the fight from the get-go with three takedowns in the first round as well as a vicious neck crank on Poirier (25-6, 1 NC) before closing out the round with a ground and pound offense.
Interim champ Poirier wobbled Nurmagomedov with a big shot early in round two, but he was able to recover and landed a takedown a little more than a minute in.
Poirier looked to have Nurmagomedov in danger with a guillotine in round three but he fought through it and kept the pressure on before locking in the rear naked choke and the victory.
Earlier on the card, Paul Felder beat Edson Barboza by split decision while Islam Makhachev beat Davi Ramos by unanimous decision.
UFC 242 – Main Card Results
- Khabib Nurmagomedov def. Dustin Poirier SUB3 (2:06)
- Paul Felder def. Edson Barboza SD (27-30, 29-28, 30-27)
- Islam Makhachev def. Davi Ramos UD (29-27, 30-26, 30-26)
- Curtis Blaydes def. Shamil Abdurakhimov TKO2 (2:22)
- Diego Ferreira def. Mairbek Taisumov UD (29-28, 29-27, 29-27)
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