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A rather surprising fighter broke Khabib Nurmagomedov’s takedown record in the UFC in 2020. Merab Dvalishvili now holds the record for the highest number of takedowns landed in UFC fights in a given year.
ESPN MMA has highlighted the fact above via its official Twitter account. The tweet is embedded below:
Merab Dvalishvili landed 27 takedowns in the UFC fights that he competed in last year. Dvalishvili’s excellent performances throughout 2020 earned him the distinction of being the fighter with the highest number of takedowns landed in UFC fights in a given year.
A UFC bantamweight contender, Dvalishvili competed thrice in the UFC in 2020. He defeated each of his three opponents via unanimous decision. His most recent fight was a win over John Dodson in August 2020.
The takedown record was previously held by none other than MMA legend and UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, who landed 26 takedowns in 2013. The Eagle now sits at the No. 2 spot on this list of distinguished UFC athletes.
Furthermore, the No. 3 position is a tie, between Rashad Evans and Gleison Tibau. Evans landed 24 takedowns in his UFC fights in 2006, whereas Tibau matched his record by landing 24 takedowns in his octagon appearances in 2009.
The fifth spot on this list belongs to former interim UFC welterweight champion Colby Covington. The welterweight star landed 23 takedowns in 2016 and holds the No. 5 position on this list.
Khabib Nurmagomedov’s MMA future hangs in the balance in 2021
Khabib Nurmagomedov last competed at UFC 254 in October 2020. The Eagle held the UFC lightweight title and faced interim UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje in a title unification bout at the event.
Nurmagomedov won that fight via second-round submission and successfully unified the UFC lightweight title. He then proceeded to announce his retirement from the sport of MMA.
However, UFC president Dana White, Khabib Nurmagomedov’s manager Ali Abdelaziz, and several others have claimed that he could return to the octagon for one more fight and try to take his MMA record to 30-0.
White is scheduled to meet Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC Fight Island aka Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, UAE, this month. It’s believed that the meeting would help the UFC decide if they have to strip Nurmagomedov of the UFC lightweight title, depending on whether or not he ends his retirement.
Check Out Khabib Nurmagomedov's Net Worth Here
