8 Star-Making Performances In The UFC
3. Khabib Nurmagomedov Vs. Michael Johnson
When Khabib Nurmagomedov entered the cage to compete on the prelims of UFC 205 he had already amassed a perfect record in his seven visits to the Octagon.
His opponent, Michael Johnson, was riding high off an impressive first-round victory over Dustin Poirier and was looking to upset Khabib with his unmatched hand speed and considerable knockout power. The fight represented the quintessential striker versus grappler matchup.
However, the Dagestan Russian's grappling heavy style had meant that he was yet to endear himself with a large portion of the UFC fanbase. That would all change with Khabib's performance on the biggest fight card of 2016.
Nurmagomedov had initially been slated to face then-UFC Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez on that card but was instead replaced by Conor McGregor after the Irishman announced his intention to move up to 155lbs in an attempt to become the first simultaneous double champion in UFC history.
Khabib was furious about being snubbed, calling McGregor leapfrogging him for a title shot at lightweight a 'freakshow'. Khabib used this to his advantage however, and it was clear that when stepping in the cage at UFC 205 he was carrying more than a little residual anger into the fight with him.
This was reflected in the Russian's performance, as after taking a decent left hand from his opponent during the opening round Khabib was never again in any adversity. The Eagle comprehensively out grappled his opponent, using his trademark suffocating positional control to rain down heavy strikes before finishing with a Kimura in the third round.
What made this performance so noteworthy, however, was the way Khabib smack talked his opponent during the fight itself. With Johnson near-defenceless against the cage, Khabib pleaded with him to surrender while asserting that he deserved to fight for the title.
Though the fight wouldn't secure an immediate title shot for Khabib, his trash talk offered many fans their first insight into the personality behind the fighter.