Khabib Nurmagomedov is arguably one of the best fighters the sport of MMA has ever seen. His 29-0 record is a testament to his success. However, there was one fight in which ‘The Eagle’ revealed was a turning point in his career. It was also a fight that UFC color commentator Joe Rogan believed that Nurmagomedov lost.

‘The Eagle’ became famous for dominating his opponents inside the octagon. However, early in his career, he almost suffered a loss against former UFC star Gleison Tibau. Moreover, Joe Rogan was there on the commentator’s desk and even he had Tibau winning the fight. Meanwhile, Nurmagomedov recently revealed how it affected him in his professional career.

Khabib Nurmagomedov opens up on fighting Gleison Tibau

‘The Eagle’ mentioned that he was 23 when he fought in his second UFC fight. Moreover, he was just getting used to fighting inside a cage. It was primarily because he was more used to fighting in a ring back home in Russia. He said, “I was 23 years old and I have only one fight in UFC and it was second time in my life I see cage.”

Furthermore, the opponent he was facing, Gleison Tibau, was an experienced one. He was already approaching his 30s and had more than a dozen UFC fights under his belt. “I was fighting versus 29 years old, 14th-ranked in the world, he have 17 fights in the UFC… it was one of the best at that time. I was fighting with Gleison Tibau,” said Khabib Nurmagomedov. Moreover, that fight had a change in him.

Tibau fight took ‘The Eagle’ to another level

The fight against Gleison Tibau was a tough one for the then-23-year-old Khabib Nurmagomedov. However, he did score a decision victory over the Brazilian fighter. He further stated, “It was like very tough fight for me. I win like unanimous decision.” Not only that, he also took some learnings from that fight.

Nurmagomedov claimed that the fight took him to another level in terms of a competitor. He also believes that every fight can teach a competitor new things that he or she otherwise wouldn’t have known. “This fight bring me on different level… every fight can bring you on another level if you, between fights learn,” ‘The Eagle’ added.

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The fact that Khabib Nurmagomedov still believes that people can never stop learning made him who he is today. A champion and an undefeated fighter throughout his career, ‘The Eagle’ serves as a perfect example for those aspiring to be combat sports athletes. However, he is now done with fighting and enjoying time away from Octagon.

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