Khabib Nurmagomedov finally has that coveted golden strap.
During the week of the biggest fight of his career, Khabib Nurmagomedov thought he was fighting five different opponents. First, it was Tony Ferguson, then it was Max Holloway, then Anthony Pettis and Paul Felder threw their names in the ring before the promotion finally settled on Al Iaquinta.
Iaquinta deserves credit for his toughness, but in the end, that wasn't enough to beat arguably the greatest 155 lber on planet Earth. Nurmagomedov dominated the fight from start to finish. He outstruck on the feet and when he was able to get the takedown, he punished the New Yorker on the ground.
The numbers can often be deceptive, but they really told the story of this fight. Nurmagomedov outstruck Iaquinta by 172 strikes to 43 and got six takedowns to zero. Interestingly, Nurmagomedov went two rounds where he couldn't secure a takedown but still managed to control the fight on the feet. While his striking was good enough to win the exchanges, he never looked likely to finish the fight via striking.
Although Iaquinta threatened with heavy shots up top, the Hail Mary haymaker never came. He just became scalp number 26 in the Dagestani's impressive trophy cabinet. The judges scored the fight 40-44, 50-43, 50-43 in Nurmagomedov's favour. With the win, he was awarded the undisputed lightweight championship.
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Legacy
Nurmagomedov's victory speech will have come as no surprise to fans who have followed the build-up to this fight. The man on the top of his hitlist is a dual champion, although not the dual champion who reigned over the lightweight and featherweight divisions.
"I want to fight with Georges St-Pierre in New York. Madison Square Garden."
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While Nate Diaz was giving out about the entertainment value of the fight, Nurmagomedov addressed the elephant in the room. The future of the man whose belt he just won is in doubt as he faces legal issues over the bus incident at the Barclays Center. He was given a clear message by the newly-crowned king.
"Where's Conor? You want to fight with bus? I want to fight with real gangster."
A new lightweight champion has been crowned, but frustratingly, we still have no idea who the best 155 lber in the world is.
