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Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov seemingly had his career plan laid out much before he started climbing up the ranks in the promotion.
'The Eagle' recently posted a video on Instagram that features a young Khabib talking to a journalist about his future plans in the world of professional mixed martial arts.
When Khabib appeared in the said interview, his career at the UFC had only just begun. However, it seems that the undefeated fighter from Russia knew exactly how his future would pan out. Khabib said in the interview-
"My plan is... I am 24 [years old right now]... And if I win the [lightweight] belt and I stay undefeated, most likely, I will leave the sport, because it has no end. If I win the title and stay undefeated, I will retire." [Translation credits: Captions in Khabib Nurmagomedov's Instagram post]
Staying true to his prediction, Khabib Nurmagomedov went on to remain undefeated in the most stacked division of the biggest mixed martial arts promotion in the world.
Tracing Khabib Nurmagomedov's career path in the UFC
Khabib Nurmagomedov arrived on the global MMA scene with his UFC debut in January 2012. Prior to his first walk to the octagon, Khabib held an amazing 16-0 record, having competed in various Russian promotions like ProFC and M-1 Global.
Right off the bat, Khabib put his exceptional skills on the ground on display in his first fight under the UFC banner. He submitted Kamal Shalorus via rear-naked choke in round three of their fight at UFC on FX: Guillard vs Miller.
The Dagestani wrestler went on to gather eight more victories before fighting for the title. The string of wins came over opponents like Edson Barboza, Rafael dos Anjos, and Michael Johnson.
Khabib Nurmagomedov was then scheduled, for the fourth time, to fight Tony Ferguson for the UFC lightweight championship. Unfortunately, 'El Cucuy' had to pull out of the bout due to a knee injury.
Tony Ferguson was replaced by Max Holloway. Holloway, too, was pulled out of the bout with the commission stating an inability to fight as the reason.
The next replacement, Anthony Pettis, pulled out as he weighed in 0.2 pounds over championship weight and elected not to re-weigh.
The next possible replacement, Paul Felder, was not a ranked fighter at the time, and was therefore rejected by the NYSAC.
Finally, Al Iaquinta was chosen to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov for lightweight gold, even though he also weighed in 0.2 pounds above the championship limit.
Khabib Nurmagomedov dominated the fight with the relentless pressure he brought with his wrestling to become the UFC lightweight champion.
Khabib Nurmagomedov then defended his title thrice against Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje.
His fight with Gaethje took place at UFC 254 in October 2020, after which Khabib bid farewell to professional competition.
He retired at the top, just like he predicted all those years ago.
What is your favorite moment from the illustrious career of Khabib Nurmagomedov? Let us know in the comments section!
