Several noted UFC personalities, including Daniel Cormier, have placed Khabib Nurmagomedov on the top of their all-time greats list. ‘The Eagle’s’ undefeated 29-0 record undoubtedly cements him as one of the greatest MMA fighter the world has ever seen. But, apart from his incredible pro-MMA record, Nurmagomedov also boasts another commendable feat. It portrays his in-cage domination during his time in the sport.
Most of the UFC community is well aware of Nurmagomedov’s undefeated record. However, a large chunk of them may be completely ignorant about the fact that the Dagestani has only lost a few rounds in his pro-MMA career spanning 12 years. Unfortunately, Nurmagomedov had to encounter one such setback in his last UFC fight, which ended with his pro-MMA retirement.
‘The Eagle’ took on the current UFC ‘BMF’ champ, Justin ‘The Highlight’ Gaethje at UFC 254 on 24 October 2020. It ultimately proved to be his final fight. Most fans may know that the bout ended in a second-round submission victory for Nurmagomedov. But, a later revelation of the judge’s scorecards showcased that he had lost the opening round of the bout.
Nurmagomedov started the bout with some good jabs, along with putting some pressure on Gaethje with his advances. ‘The Highlight’ did land a few good leg kicks but ‘The Eagle’s’ jabs outnumbered them. However, Gaethje landed a vicious combo followed by a brutal leg kick in the ending minutes of the round, which probably turned the judge’s scorecards in his favor.
Later, ‘MMA Fighting’ reported that two judges, Ben Cartiledge and Sal D’Amato had scored the round 10-9 in Gaethje’s favor. Whereas, the third judge, Derek Cleary ruled the round in the Dagestani’s favor along with the same scores. This is definitely one of the rare incidents where ‘The Eagle’ had to lose a round to his rival. But this isn’t the only one.
Khabib Nurmagomedov has only lost one more round in his entire UFC career
Nurmagomedov’s split decision round loss against Gaethje was only the second time he had lost a round to his rival within his UFC tenure. However, it won’t be wrong to say that only a few in the entire UFC community know when and where ‘The Eagle’ lost his first-ever UFC round.
It was none other than his archrival, Conor McGregor, who subjected him to his first defeat in a UFC fight round. Most fans may have already figured out that Nurmagomedov’s first-ever round loss came at UFC 229. Specifically, it was the third round of the 5-round UFC 229 main event that McGregor won.
But, almost every UFC fan remembers how the Dagestani turned the entire scenario upside down in the fourth round. He submitted McGregor via a neck crank around the 3-min mark of the round, and the rest is pretty much history.
Do you also accept ‘The Eagle’ as one of the greatest MMA athletes in the history of the sport?
