Khabib Nurmagomedov (can anyone beat this guy?) SPOILERS

in #sportstalk5 years ago (edited)

Warning: If you are one of those people that likes to watch the events after the fact then reading this will spoil the result. Actually, the title of this post has likely already accomplish that.... sorry

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Late last night we saw Khabib Nurmaberabluhblahbloo pretty much dominate the main event. The way that this fight was booked it looked like Dustin Poirier was going to put up a much better fight than he managed to do. In Dustin's last fight vs. Max Holloway (which he won by unanimous decision) he convinced much of the MMA world including myself that we had a real threat for the unified belt. However, and I hate to admit this, besides one barrage that Khabib quickly recovered from, this main-event was an extremely one-sided affair.

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So what makes Khabib so unstoppable? Well, at least in my opinion, it is because he can face any opponent in any sort of manor - he is extremely well-rounded and I suppose this isn't terribly surprising since he is the champ and also has never been defeated.

The major reason that Khabib is able to pick apart opponents regardless of their individual strengths is because he has a unique ability to succeed at almost all of his takedown attempts. Then, once he is in that position he doesn't immediately go for the kill, but rather leans on whoever he is facing, and wears them out.

This was very evident at UFC 242.

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Poirier narrowly avoided putting himself in submission situations multiple times before Khabib eventually locked in a strong rear naked choke in the 3rd round. To Poirier's credit, he also nearly had Khabib in a similar situation, but not for very long. Khabib simply excels on the ground. When he gets a takedown they are normally very fast and he forces his opponent to spend a lot of energy to try to get this deadly monkey off their back.

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Khabib seeks out ending up on the ground but that isn't to suggest that he has a weak stand-up game. He can hang with the best of them as far as boxing is concerned. I think that people could successfully argue that Poirier is likely the better boxer - i dunno - that didn't seem the case except for one instance in round 2 and like I mentioned before, Khabib backpedaled and quickly recovered when Poirier surprised him with a stiff left.

All-in-all there is nothing that Khabib doesn't excel at but i don't think that anyone is going to deny that his exceptional wrestling skills are what is going to make him very difficult to dethrone. Unfortunately, I am one of the guys that finds this tactic of victory quite boring to watch, but if it wins matches, I am sure the fighters don't care, especially if they are getting a $6 million purse.


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At the conclusion of the fight Nurmagomedov was extremely gracious in victory and a lot of respect was shown between the two champions as they exchanged shirts for the post-fight interviews. Khabib briefly mentioned McGregor but not by name - only referring to Conor as "that bulls**t guy."

I did find it bizarre that he said that he is going to sell his Poirier shirt and give all the money to Dustin. Huh? Dustin isn't poor dude, and although he did receive a significantly lower purse at around 300K I didn't feel there was any reason to say that. Oh well, English is not his first language.

Khabib pointed out that there was a great deal of respect between the two fighters and I don't think anyone can argue that. For me anyway, the trash-talking from fighters like McGregor are kind of a blemish on the sport and in some cases get MMA stars fights they don't necessarily deserve. Conor wasted no time and immediately tweeted that he wants a rematch - We'll see if that happens. I for one kind of enjoy seeing McGregor take a beating but also don't think he deserves a rematch. Let him fight his way back up like everyone else has to.

Unfortunately for Poirier, he likely won't get another shot at this any time soon if at all. He just didn't perform well enough to justify another shot at the belt.

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I suspect that Dustin realizes this also: He tried to maintain his composure during a tearful post-fight interview, but his emotions got the best of him where he expressed his disappointment in himself to the world.

Chin up dude.... there is no shame in going 3 rounds out of 5 with who I think has a really good chance of being classed as the greatest pound-for-pound fighter on the planet.

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Красавчик - 👊 Poirier имел небольшой шанс но он его упустил / достойная победа! #mma

как неожиданно приятно увидеть коммент на родном языке:) это акк нового сообщества какого-то?

Привет - понимаю ) тоже рад видеть знакомые буквы - особенно когда не знаешь английский и пишешь через переводчик ) мне было бы удобно писать на русском но боюсь некому читать и голосовать будет - как дела ? Что думаешь по поводу последней движухи HF и в целом о #steem ? @taliakerch

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да, наших тут немного, или просо не знаю никого. точнее, знаю некоторых, но как-то не спешат поддерживать. на удивление, иностранцы приятнее и отзывчивее здесь.
цена на стим не радует от слова совсем. какие вообще перспективы, слышал что-то? хардфорк тоже насолил неплохо, денег и так негусто, еще и половину отваливать. вера и надежда, наверное, дают стимул) да и просто уже как-то попривыкла тут, уже два года все таки, есть некоторые прям очень приятные и умные люди.

@taliakerch полтора года назад сделал сайт новостной по крипте - поковырялся пол года, надоело, все падало никому ничего неинтересно - потом зашёл сюда, шапку с сайта своего взял и пошло поехало ) пока я только думаю что действительно полезного я здесь могу делать... - я думаю надо идти учить английский 😁

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а ты тут обосноваться решил?) многие наоборот лахают, цена упала, и все бегут. есть, конечно, патриоты вроде меня)
а ты сюда скакой целью денег-то завел? посты писать или на курации зарабатывать?
и что такое EpicDice расскажи)

@taliakerch денег 3к Стима взял / курирую и иногда свои делаю - но подход простой всё на скорую руку - времени нет - но к зиме буду свободен / вообще пасусь на #steemleo меня как и раньше интересует техническая часть как все работает и читаю прогеров и разрабов их видение дальнейшей ситуации / кроч я здесь не из за денег но ради денег 😎 / у тебя есть опыт в крипте и здесь а это дорогого стоит - особенно когда начнётся общий хайп - вот к нему и надо правильно подойти я так считаю - я пока не все понимаю - может посмотришь какие-нибудь посты и скажешь что не так и как бы делала ты ✌️

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нашел, у кого спросить) я несмотря на то, что здесь уже два года, в крипте и в принципе в схемах работы понимаю ровно нихера) это я у тебя сейчас прогнозы спрашивать буду, раз уж ты в теме и читаешь умных людей)
а с чем едят стимлео?я не в курсе. и ты не ответил про EpicDice)

в чем фишка твоего аккаунта-то? какие-то репосты, постов нет. только курация получается? за кого голосуете? кто инвестор?)

nice to get a response in Russian :) I had to translate that but I agree entirely.

I think if there is anyone who can master the technique of sambo and wrestling like Habib, then there will be a very interesting fight. And what I saw yesterday is kind of boring :)

Yeah, kind of the same problem I had with Jonny Hendrix... he could win, but it was normally a snooze-fest. Thankfully Khabib is more exciting that Jonny ever was, even if it isn't as much fun as a stand-up fight.

oh, he is known all over the world?? I am far from this sport, but even I know this guy. He is extremely popular in Russia! He is like thunder for many sportsmen;)
and he is known as a brave and passionate defender of national ideas. A cool guy:)

There is a chance that he is the most well-known and admired MMA fighter in the world.... at least for now because he seems unstoppable.

In my eyes he also seems like a pretty all-around good guy as well. I enjoy how polite he is in interviews and how much respect he has for the sport and even his opponents.

yes, he is special, men of his nationality are different as a rule

I can't but his mind can beat him. Hahahaha

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He's not giving money to Dustin but his charity organization or something like that. I think this is the case here.

Anyways, it was one sided fight but that's how it goes if your wrestling is not matcing his. I mean, Khabib wrestled a bear when he was a kid.

What is some guy for him after wrestling that animal?

ha! I had forgotten about the bear thing but that is actually a very good point :)

If he wins the fights, it's because he's doing well. It is a very risky sport to fight thinking about the spectacle of the fans.

Khabib is a beast. His ground skills are from another dimension. It will take the heart of a true warrior to gain his throne.

The ONLY fighter in the lightweight division who stands a chance of beating Khabib is TONY FERGUSON. It's not Conor. Listen to Tony's interview on Ariel Helwani yesterday, he's focused and ready.

With his collegiate wrestling background and current BJJ Blackbelt under Eddie Bravo / 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu -- Tony can go toe-to-toe on the ground; his gas tank is exponentially greater than was Conor's when he fought Khabib; and he a deadly striker / beast on his feet.

I know how frustrating it is that they've attempted Khabib vs. Ferguson 4 times now, but hey, maybe fifth time a charm? lol

Conor needs some time before another title shot. I'd rather see Conor closeout the McGregor-Diaz Trilogy series that we've all patiently waited for, while Tony gets his much-earned shot at the Lightweight title.

I would love to see Diaz and McGregor go at it again. Two guys with seriously big mouths with 1 win each.

You make some very valid points for Ferguson and clearly know your stuff. I think it will be a while before we see Khabib fight again (6 months?) but i am sure it will be another winner. I hope they don't put him up against another striker though because the match / result is going to be the same if they do.

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I kind of used to feel the same way about Victor Emilienako. I probably spelled that wrong, but he was a beast in his prime. Some of the highlight footage of his fights are just amazing. It really wasn't until they started showing the Pride fighting stuff on cable TV that I ever heard about him though.