LOS ANGELES — In early 2018, a 29-year-old Khabib Nurmagomedov, having battering rammed his approach to contendership, was booked to struggle Tony Ferguson for the vacant light-weight title at UFC 233. However, in one in every of many near-satiric twists of destiny that marked the repeated failures to get these two in an octagon, Ferguson suffered a freak harm tripping on a manufacturing studio cable solely per week previous to the struggle and withdrew.
With Nurmagomedov decided to remain on the cardboard, UFC pivoted to featherweight champion Max Holloway, who agreed to try an excessive, herculean weight lower to take Ferguson’s place within the struggle. However simply 36 hours previous to the occasion, Holloway was deemed medically unfit to weigh in because of the aggressive lower. And subsequent makes an attempt to guide Anthony Pettis and Paul Felder shortly fell via.
In the end, veteran light-weight Al Iaquinta was pulled from the undercard into the principle occasion on simply over 24 hours discover. And after making ready for 4 prior opponents, Nurmagomedov stepped into the octagon in opposition to a fifth and did what he was at all times going to do, dominating the struggle to assert the light-weight belt he went on to defend 3 times and held for 1,077 days — each UFC data.
Becoming, then, that Nurmagomedov was at Intuit Dome on Saturday, leaning ahead on the octagon as his former coaching associate turned protégé Islam Makhachev sunk a first-round D’arce choke on Renato Moicano — a last-minute alternative after Arman Tsarukyan withdrew from the struggle as a result of harm Friday morning — to interrupt Nurmagomedov’s light-weight title defence document and preserve his path to breaking his title reign document, as properly.
Makhachev was in Nurmagomedov’s nook the evening he fought Iaquinta (Moicano was on that UFC 233 card, too, combating Calvin Kattar at featherweight). Simply 26 and solely 5 fights into his UFC profession, he noticed up shut how Nurmagomedov carried himself via the chaos. Now, he’s the one stoically responding to UFC’s fixed havoc and uncertainty. He’s the one doing what he was at all times going to do and dominating the struggle.
“For me, it is nothing. I do not put together myself only for Arman or somebody. I put together myself for struggle,” stated Makhachev, who’s now received 15 straight and is knocking on the door of Anderson Silva’s UFC document 16-fight win streak. “If this occurred like just one hour earlier than (the struggle,) I’d say sure. As a result of I have been coaching the final three months for the struggle, not only for one opponent. For the struggle. Regardless of who it’ll be.”
For all of the commotion of the day prior, Saturday was a simple evening on the workplace for Makhachev. After a short feeling-out course of, he hit a takedown halfway via the spherical, managed issues for a spell, and capitalized the second Moicano uncovered his neck in a scramble. Makhachev was barely touched and will have fought once more later that evening if he needed to. He joked about not even needing a bathe when he returned to the locker room.
For as a lot enjoyable because it was to dream of the fan favorite Moicano seizing his second and doing the inconceivable, the inconceivable isn’t completed. Notably in opposition to guys like Makhachev, who refuse to even permit overmatched opponents resembling Moicano, presently No. 10 in UFC’s light-weight rankings, an inch of rope.
“This can be a struggle. We don’t should be associates. I respect him. However he needs to be grateful — as a result of he fought for the title. I gave him an enormous alternative,” stated Makhachev, who’s completed eight of his final 9 fights. “However I can’t struggle with No. 10 and have an in depth struggle or take some harm. That’s why I’m the perfect fighter on the planet and I completed him within the first spherical.”
The one factor stopping this from being a banner evening for Makhachev and Nurmagomedov’s Eagles MMA fitness center was Khabib’s cousin, Umar Nurmagomedov, ending up on the mistaken finish of one other Merab Dvalishvilli onslaught instantly basic previous the principle occasion.
Remarkably, it was the primary time any of Khabib, Umar, or Usman Nurmagomedov — Umar’s youthful brother who’s presently Bellator / PFL’s light-weight champion — have misplaced a struggle. They’re now a mixed 65-1-1.
That new “1” is among the many most well-earned you’re ever going to see, after Dvalishvilli withstood an arduous first two rounds and flipped a struggle he was shedding on its head, unloading a high-capacity journal of takedown makes an attempt over the ultimate three frames to do the unthinkable and break a Nurmagomedov.
“I didn’t care that I used to be combating a Nurmagomedov and that he was undefeated. I knew that I used to be going to return and struggle my struggle,” Dvashvilli stated, shirtless and nonetheless sporting his gloves over an hour after the struggle. “I used to be taking my time. No have to rush. I used to be there for a struggle. I wasn’t seeking to wrestle. I wished to punch the man’s face. … As you guys know, within the later rounds, I begin waking up extra. I can go ten rounds.”
You could possibly say Dvalishvilli’s recreation is all fuel, no brakes, however the factor about fuel is it runs out. No matter Dvalishvilli’s fueled by is infinite. It’s not ruled by the legal guidelines of thermodynamics.
How else does he face up to two rounds of Nurmagomedov’s lightning-fast, technically excellent counters, absorbing north of 40 important strikes within the course of, solely to return out for the third and chain takedown try right into a takedown try, lastly getting his opponent to the mat and mockingly pointing at him earlier than spending a large interval of the spherical pinning him to the fence whereas carrying on a operating dialog with the octagon-side commentary crew?
What concerning the fourth when Dvalishvilli practically doubled-up Nurmagomedov on the ft, 48-26, whereas nonetheless touchdown 4 of the 9 takedowns he shot for? Or the break between rounds when Nurmagomedov was visibly exhausted whereas Dvalishvilli’s nook didn’t even carry a stool into the octagon? After which the fifth, which Dvalishvilli spent the latter half of bullying his opponent repeatedly, enjoying to the group with every takedown?
It is protected to say we’ve by no means seen cardio like Dvalishvilli’s within the octagon. By no means seen a fighter so succesful weaponizing relentless tempo. Saturday, Dvalishvilli broke Georges St-Pierre’s UFC takedowns document in his 14th UFC struggle. It took St-Pierre 22 to set it.
“Yeah, I had slightly little bit of enjoyable. I prefer to have enjoyable. I do not like unfavorable power. Despite the fact that I struggle, I am nonetheless in search of one thing constructive,” Dvalishvilli stated. “I assumed the world was in opposition to me. The final couple of months, I blocked so many followers on Instagram as a result of they have been speaking trash, going loopy.”
You get the sense {that a} loss Saturday would have been extremely tough for Dvalishvilli to reckon with. Over the past six weeks he’s repeatedly asserted that he didn’t wish to struggle Nurmagomedov, who he felt hadn’t earned his title shot, and didn’t wish to struggle him now, solely 4 months after he took the belt off Sean O’Malley and having spent most of his time in between centered on therapeutic a tweaked again and a grotesque, contaminated gash in his proper shin.
However UFC made the struggle anyway and Dvalishvilli signed the contract, gritting his tooth and letting the world know the way disrespected he felt at each flip. The chip on his shoulder swelled all through struggle week as he and Nurmagomedov traded insults back-and-forth, and Dvalishvilli’s first intuition on the finish of the struggle was to hunt out UFC President Dana White to unload it.
Nurmagomedov shortly taking to social media after the struggle to share a photograph of a damaged hand seemingly didn’t sit properly with Dvalishvilli, both.
“I broke my again in the course of the coaching camp. Some days I couldn’t stand up from mattress,” Dvalishvilli stated. “I am not making this an excuse. You are a f—ing fighter. You have to discover a approach to win. After he disrespected me, he stated so many bulls— issues — I don’t know. As a fighter, I respect him. God bless him. I want him all the perfect. Nevertheless it’s a struggle. And guess what? Who broke his hand?”
Sure, it was an emotional week for everybody. However all these obstacles and slights will quickly be forgotten. And Umar’s cousin, Khabib, is an efficient reminder that it’s the outcomes of your resume that matter — not the context.
Again to that evening in 2019 — UFC 233, when Nurmagomedov first received the light-weight title. That Iaquinta by no means belonged within the octagon with him within the first place (by no means thoughts the very fact he was ineligible to win the title as a result of weighing in .2 of a pound over the championship restrict) hasn’t colored Nurmagomedov’s legacy among the many best of all time.
Neither has the truth that Nurmagomedov’s first defence got here in opposition to an erratic and unfocused Conor McGregor coming off a two-year layoff. Nor that he fought solely twice extra previous to retirement. The early-career miss on the scales, the 2 years of inactivity in his prime, the last-minute withdrawal as a result of a botched weight lower — all misplaced within the fog of time.
There may be solely Nurmagomedov’s 29-0 document. Simply as all this hassle Dvalishvilli went via will go down as merely one title defence within the books. Sometime quickly, perhaps even ahead of he’d choose, he’ll should do it another time.
Makhachev, too, will see human nature clean out the tough edges round his win the additional we transfer previous this occasion. Final minute opponent change? An overmatched Moicano making a evident error on the mat? These circumstances will likely be forgotten; a record-setting title defence received’t.
And keep in mind, the arduous work for Dvalishvilli and Makhachev was merely getting right here. Dvalishvilli needed to win 10 straight to get his first title shot. His final 4 fights previous to Saturday have been all wins over former champions — Jose Aldo, Petr Yan, Henry Cejudo, and Sean O’Malley. Add Nurmagomedov’s title to the listing and you’ve got among the finest five-fight runs within the sport.
In the meantime, Makhachev received his belt in opposition to Charles Oliveira, as harmful a light-weight as you’ll discover even in his mid-30’s. He defended it twice in opposition to Alexander Volkanovski, a tactical wizard broadly considered one of many sport’s pound-for-pound greatest. He held it via a back-and-forth fight-of-the-year candidate with Dustin Poirier in 2024. There are not any if’s, and’s, or however’s with any of these wins.
And like Dvalishvilli, Makhachev’s repeatedly answered the bell in opposition to all comers, no matter situations. He submitted Dan Hooker within the first spherical on a month’s discover in 2021. 4 months later, he knocked out Bobby Inexperienced within the first spherical on two weeks’ discover. A yr after that, he stopped Volkanovski within the first spherical on 10 days’ discover. Certainly, after submitting Moicano throughout the first spherical on 36 hours’ discover, he can’t presumably increase the bar once more.
Nicely, perhaps we shouldn’t doubt that. Makhachev simply took one in every of Khabib’s data and now he’s operating down Silva. Dvalishvilli’s speaking about making 4 title defences this yr to set a UFC document. Makhachev says he doesn’t solely wish to add the welterweight title to his assortment, he needs the middleweight belt sometime, too. Dvalishvilli thinks 25 minutes isn’t sufficient. Critically.
“I want the struggle was longer,” Dvalishvilli stated. “I’d take pleasure in it extra.”
