On the UFC 205 preliminary card, Khabib Nurmagomedov did everything he could to state his case as the man who should be fighting for the UFC lightweight championship. He weathered an early storm and handed out a vicious beatdown of Michael Johnson before submitting him with a kimura. Afterwards, Khabib taunted the Irish fans, called Conor McGregor a chicken, and has since threatened to leave the UFC if he does not get the next shot.
Post-fight, the 24-0 Nurmagomedov told reporters that he was talking to Johnson during the fight, urging him to give up.
“I had a little talk with him; is that not good?” Nurmagomedov said. “I told him, ‘Hey, I have to fight for the title. You know this.’ I told him, ‘I don’t want to smash your face, and I already beat you. You have to give up.’ But he kept fighting.”
It’s one thing for Khabib to say it happened (which it did), but it’s another to actually watch and listen to it. The UFC 205: The Thrill and the Agony preview video (which you can watch at the top of the page) shows you exactly how it went down. To add to it, he told Dana White, “Hey, be careful. I’m going to smash your boy,” in obvious reference to McGregor.
There’s plenty more in this preview, including Miesha Tate’s retirement, Matt Serra and Ray Longo getting beeped out almost the entire way after Yoel Romero knocked out Chris Weidman, and of course, McGregor stopping Eddie Alvarez to become the UFC’s featherweight and lightweight champion.
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