Watch: When Khabib Nurmagomedov Looked Beatable for the First Time

There aren’t many fighters in the UFC who have had a record as impeccable as current UFC lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov. He is undisputed, undefeated, and maintains a stellar record of 28-0 in his MMA career.

In conclusion, he hasn’t lost a single fight in his professional career. Khabib is as dominant as any fighter can get inside the octagon. However, there have been times when Khabib did not look invincible.

Khabib Nurmagomedov looks beatable against Gleison Tibau

In his second fight for UFC, Khabib faced Gleison Tibau at UFC 148. After an incredible UFC debut against Kamal Shalorus, Khabib faced Tibau in his 18th professional fight.

Gleison Tibau is a wrestler just like Khabib and exhibited a brilliant performance against the current lightweight champion back in 2012. Khabib didn’t look like the fighter he has become over the past few years.

Someone who likes to take his opponents down for a nasty ground and pound looked out of breath after every unsuccessful takedown attempt. Tibau managed to keep Khabib away from pushing him to the cage. He successfully connected several punches and looked dominant in the fight.

However, he won the fight via unanimous decision, but even today, many MMA fans believe otherwise. Khabib’s performance against Tibau was unlike him. He failed to take Tibau down on the ground and looked restless during the fight. He slipped several times while advancing towards Tibau, which could have been used for better results by Tibau. Nonetheless, he emerged victorious yet again, with all the judges scoring the match 30-27 in favor of Khabib.

Watch Full Fight Here

Why wasn’t it Khabib’s best performance?

Khabib has always looked dominant in his fights. Additionally, he hasn’t even lost a single round in his career, except the third round against McGregor back at UFC 229. That’s a remarkable achievement which almost untouched by any UFC fighter.

On his victory against Tibau, however, many MMA fans believe that he didn’t win all the rounds. Khabib tried to be in control of the fight but failed on several occasions. Probably he got away with advancing inside the octagon, which made the judges believe that he won the fight, but it wasn’t the Khabib that we have all known and seen inside the octagon. Many fans also questioned Khabib’s inability to finish the fight against a quality wrestler.

Khabib will face Tony Ferguson next, who submitted Tibau in the first round of their match at UFC 184. It will be interesting to see how Khabib manages against a former wrestling champion next. A lot has changed in overtime, and Khabib has improved a lot, but so has Tony Ferguson.