With all of his struggles and hard work, Khabib has become a household name in the world of mixed martial arts. He is currently at the pinnacle of his career. His journey, however, was not without incident. We will go over his career in depth here.
Beginnings of a Career
Khabib made his MMA debut in September 2008 and quickly rose to prominence, winning four fights in a row. Then, as the champion of the Atrium Cup tournament, he defeated three of his opponents. Khabib’s 16-0 winning streak in the regional circuits of Russia and Ukraine earned him a contract with the UFC in 2012.
He went undefeated in the tournament for the next three years. This performance gained him worldwide acclaim and paved the way for him to compete in international championships. Khabib’s 16-0 winning streak in the regional circuits of Russia and Ukraine, however, was the performance that landed him a contract with the UFC in 2012.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)
Khabib made his UFC debut in the third round against Kamal Shalorus after the UFC signed him to a six-fight contract in late 2011.He then faced Gleison Tibau on July 7, 2012, and Thiago Tavares on January 19, 2013. He knocked him out in the first round.
Similarly, Khabib continued to compete and win in the UFC. In addition, on January 19, 2013, he defeated Abel Trujillo, setting a new UFC record for the most takedowns in a single fight with 21 successful takedowns out of 28 attempts. He was already causing a stir in the UFC at the time and was getting more fights.
Later that year, he faced Pat Healy, and it was in that game that he demonstrated his abilities and astounded everyone. He challenged ‘GilbKert Melendez’ in 2013, but the fight was canceled due to a variety of factors. On April 19, 2014, he won Rafael dos Anjos. Khabib was scheduled to fight Donald Cerrone and Tony Ferguson late, but he was unable to compete due to a knee injury.
Khabib was ready to compete for the title after competing in so many matches and winning. He was scheduled to face Eddie Alvarez, the reigning UFC Lightweight Champion. However, Eddie pulled himself back, and the match was called off. On social media, Khabib slammed Eddie, calling him a “Bullshit Champ.”
Eddie chose to compete against Conor McGregor, another UFC star.
Khabib – Lightweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)
Khabib has an impressive record in both MMA and the UFC. He is a lightweight fighter who has competed in several fights. We’ll go over his UFC lightweight championship in depth here. KHABIB IS THE FIRST MUSLIM TO BE AWARDED THE UFC CHAMPIONSHIP.
On April 7, 2018, Khabib won the UFC lightweight championship. He was supposed to fight Tony Ferguson, but the fight was canceled due to an injury. He then faced Al Iaquinta in a fight that he dominated, controlling Iaquinta from start to finish and winning the championship. Conor McGregor was another well-known UFC fighter at the time.
Khabib was set to defend his lightweight title against Coner. Because both players were extremely popular around the world, the match was expected to be extremely competitive. With over 2.4 million views, the match was the most watched pay-per-view event in MMA history. He sold his shirt for $100,000 and donated the proceeds to charity.
Khabib recently defended his title for the second time against Dustin Poirier on September 7, 2019. He won the fight in the third round with a rear-naked choke submission. Following the fight, he sold his shirt for $100,000 and donated the proceeds to charity.
Similarly, he fought Tony Ferguson at UFC 249 on April 18, 2020. He was removed from the card because he could not travel to other countries due to the global pandemic Covid-19. Similarly, in the main event of UFC 254, he defeated Gaethje via technical submission. This was his final fight as a fighter. Following that, the MMA fighter announced his retirement in his post-fight interview.
Khabib’s mother did not want him to continue fighting after his father died. So the fighter promised his mother that he would retire from fighting and not continue his career.
