Khabib Nurmagomedov went into retirement without any defeats in the Octagon. Despite that, the former UFC Lightweight champion once faced a fighter whom he addresses as the hardest hitting opponent, and that is none other than his final adversary- Justin Gaethje.
Over the years he dominated the 155-pound division, “The Eagle” has thrashed the best of the best the division had to offer- from the grudge rivalry against Conor McGregor to the likes of Dustin Poirier and Gaethje.
It was conversation inside the cage: Khabib recalls Gaethje fight at UFC 254
Looking back at his spectacular MMA career, the UFC Hall of Famer revealed during the PBD Podcast about which fighter was the hardest hitter he had ever faced, and to that, Khabib mentioned “The Highlight”.
“I think it was Justin Gaethje,” said Khabib on the podcast. “He hits like truck, but it was one thing what breaks him, like when he hit me, I remember it was right uppercut and left hook. It was his best shot in the fight and I told him, ‘Brother, this is everything that you have?’ I was talking with him. It was conversation inside the cage.”
Khabib and Gaethje locked horns in the main event of UFC 254 in Abu Dhabi in October 2020, which ended with a 2nd round Technical Submission win for the Dagestani, as well as marking his third title defense. After the win, Khabib had announced his retirement.
“I like Justin Gaethje, and I was talking with him after this combination, and I told him, ‘This is everything that you have?’ And end of the first round, he started to like tire, and I told him, ‘This is jetlag because you come to Abu Dhabi one week before the fight. I’m here one month.’ I know where I was after one week because this is like desert. You have to be there at least a couple of weeks before the fight. I know myself, one week when I come, I cannot sleep,” added Khabib. [H/T MMA Junkie]
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