29–0 Khabib Nurmagomedov Reminisces About His Most ‘Fun Fight’ in the UFC

Kishore R | 10/06/2024
29–0 Khabib Nurmagomedov Reminisces About His Most ‘Fun Fight’ in the UFC

No one in the UFC had a run like Khabib Nurmagomedov. Even though there were fighters who had superstar status, ‘The Eagle’s’ undefeated run is truly unmatched and unlikely to be repeated. But which one of those 29 fights was Khabib’s favorite?

Recently, the undefeated Dagestani fighter took things to his social media to repost a clip from his fighting days, sharing a reel of his bout against the ever-dangerous Edson Barboza.

During that period, Barboza was hailed as Nurmagomedov’s kryptonite given his dangerous and dynamic striking. However, Khabib shattered all expectations when he out-struck the kickboxer and took him apart on with his relentless ground and pound.

The bout was so brutal that Barboza’s longtime coach Mark Henry still gets nightmares in his sleep as he recalls the Russian’s chilling message in the middle of the bout.

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s cold message to Barboza’s coach

UFC 219 saw the then #2 ranked Khabib Nurmagomedov take on the #4 ranked LW, Edson Barboza in a three-rounded fight in the co-main event of the evening. While many had Barboza win in their books, and anticipated a beat-down from the more polished striker, Khabib destroyed the Brazilian and crushed his spirit.

To be fair, Barboza did find some success, getting in some leg kicks but once ‘The Eagle’ got a hold of him, he quickly flipped the script. And it remained unchanged for all three rounds with a control time of over 10 minutes, where Barboza got his face smashed in by Khabib.

Barboza’s coach, Henry still to this day gets chills when he recalls that fight.

Mid-fight, while he was giving his fighter advice, urging him to stay on course with their strategy and not let the Russian take his back, Khabib simply turned to his corner and said there was no escape for Barboza.

Henry has even called the former UFC champ the scariest human being after Mike Tyson. One can only imagine what it must be like being crushed underneath the mountain man as he tries to punch holes through your face for round after round after round.

Post Edited By: Smrutisnat Jena
Edson Barboza Khabib Nurmagomedov mike tyson

About the author

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Kishore R

Kishore is a MMA journalist at The SportsRush with over two years of experience and more than 2000 articles to his name. While he is a qualified engineer, he truly enjoys his time crafting stories from the world of mixed martial arts. Old testament in his MMA education, Kishore picked up the sport watching the highlights of 1989’s Fight of the Year bout between Roberto Duran and Iran Barkley and has since been hooked to the controlled violence this sport is capable of. Following MMA for almost a decade and a half, Kishore has an advanced understanding of its tactical nature and uses his love for storytelling to express it with great effect. But most of all, he just wants to see Tony Ferguson bounce back and showcase his old swagger - “IT’S TONY TIME!”

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