5 times Khabib Nurmagomedov was criticized by MMA fans
Khabib Nurmagomedov's combat sports journey began at a very young age under his father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov. He is a two-time Combat Sambo World Champion who also trained in freestyle wrestling. From 2008 to 2011, Khabib built an impressive MMA record of 16 wins with no losses.
In January 2012, Khabib Nurmagomedov made his UFC debut. 'The Eagle' showed his potential from the beginning and went on a dominant run. He became UFC lightweight champion in 2018 by defeating Al Iaquinta. No fighter seemed to have an answer for his relentless pace and wrestling. It would remain that way until his retirement in 2020.
His primary asset inside the octagon was his wrestling. While his style allowed him to dominate opponents, it did not win over all the fans. Many said that his striking was not at par with the best in the division. Some fans even labeled him a boring fighter.
The Russian became champion, was part of the biggest event in UFC history and retired undefeated. At first glance, Nurmagomedov's career looks blemish-free, but that is not the case. From his fighting style to retiring early and even his views, Khabib Nurmagomedov has faced his fair share of criticism.
Here are five instances when fans criticized Khabib Nurmagomedov.
#5. Khabib Nurmagomedov was too big for the lightweight division
Throughout his MMA career, Khabib Nurmagomedov decisively defeated all his opponents. His training in combat sambo and freestyle wrestling made his ground game nearly perfect. Even if an opponent managed to put him in a submission he slipped out.
However, many fans have argued that his dominance was due to a size advantage. At 5'10'', Khabib was among the taller lightweights and he cut several pounds before every fight to make the 155lbs limit.
This led many to believe that, on fight night, he weighed a lot more than other lightweights. Many have even said that the former champ's true test would've been in the welterweight division.
Covington: 'I'm the reason' Khabib didn't fight at welterweight thesco.re/2HLQpwy https://t.co/Zt0HTwsnyM
Colby Covington echoed a similar sentiment when he implied that Khabib Nurmagomedov's is a natural welterweight. 'Chaos' said:
"Why are you looking for this big advantage to have a weight advantage over these little guys and beat midgets?"