‘The Eagle’ put together one of the most impressive runs in UFC history from 2012 to 2020.
Khabib Nurmagomedov is regarded as one of the best MMA fighters of all time, not because he stayed at the top of the sport for a long time.
What the Russian may have lacked in longevity due to his early retirement, he made up for with how dominant he was in the cage.
Some have argued that Nurmagomedov’s undefeated record should’ve come to an end in his second bout inside the Octagon.
The same debate didn’t exist for his introduction to the UFC fans, which took place on this day in 2012.
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Who is the MMA GOAT?
Khabib Nurmagomedov had to battle Mario Yamasaki’s decisions to win his UFC debut
Khabib Nurmagomedov fought in the United States for the first time when he made his UFC debut at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.
On this day in 2012, the promotion aired their first event on FX, which was headlined by a lightweight contest between Jim Miller and Melvin Guillard.
Nurmagomedov isn’t the best striker from his team, but it’s in this range where he found success in the first round against Kamal Shalorus.
His wild and unorthodox techniques certainly weren’t the prettiest but they proved to be effective when ‘The Eagle’ dropped his first UFC opponent.
The excited Russian exerted a lot of energy to try and get the finish only for Shalorus to make it to the second round, where his foe switched things up on him.
Iran’s Shalorus was described on the broadcast as a world-class wrestler, only to find himself stuck on bottom position on several occasions in the second stanza.
Fortunately for him, despite Nurmagomedov landing shots from the top, referee Mario Yamasaki stood both men up twice, forcing the debutant to once again rely on his striking or produce more takedowns.
Shalorus was unable to prevent his 23-year-old adversary from getting on top again where in the third round, he secured a rear-naked choke victory.
Nurmagomedov may have said that the UFC asked him to create a nickname so people didn’t have issues pronouncing his name, but commentator Jon Anik made sure to tell people on the broadcast that they’d better start learning.
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Has Islam Makhachev’s UFC run surpassed Khabib Nurmagomedov’s?
Which do you rate higher? Undefeated or two-weight? Let us know in the comments.
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Dana White said enough is enough with Mario Yamasaki following a one-sided beatdown
Mario Yamasaki standing Khabib Nurmagomedov up in his debut despite the work he was doing from top position isn’t even close to the most controversial calls that the referee made during his time with the UFC.
Dana White was critical of the official on countless occasions before one particularly bad decision led to a line in the sand.
Yamasaki claimed that he allowed Priscila Cachoeira “to be a warrior” when responding to backlash over him not ending the beatdown that she suffered from Valentina Shevchenko in 2018.
“He makes me sick,” White said when appearing on UFC Tonight. “That guy has no business reffing fights. And I promise you, you’re never going to see him again.”
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