Getting out of the guillotine: how Nurmagomedov defeated Porier and retained the UFC championship belt

Khabib Nurmagomedov approached the fight with Dustin Porrier in the status of not only the undisputed champion, but also the favorite. Many factors spoke for the Russian, among which were his phenomenal wrestling skills, as well as serious American problems in this regard. By and large, on paper, the interim champion seemed a little more versatile copy of Conor McGregor, while noticeably inferior to him in the rack. Evidence of this was a full-time battle between the athletes, culminating in the victory of the Irish in the first round.

In this regard, many experts found it difficult to say, due to which Porrier is able to impose competition on his counterpart. Of course, he was superior to Nurmagomedov in percussion technique, but he never allowed indiscretion, "trying to play on the strengths of his opponent." Habib always imposed his style and, at the slightest need, dragged his opponents into grappling, and in this aspect he is one of the best in the world.

Before the start of the fight, there was no reason to believe that Porye could either compete on equal terms with Nurmagomedov in the fight, or at least not allow transfers to the ground. Dustin was never famous for his ability to defend against takedowns.

In addition, his previous duel with Max Holloway revealed some problems with endurance. So, by the end of the second round, the American had noticeably slowed down, and in the remaining five minutes did not exceed his opponent at all. Undoubtedly, a bet on powerful knockout blows, many of which reached the goal, contributed to fatigue, but this can hardly be called an excuse. Do not forget that the fight took place exclusively on his feet, which takes much less power than the exhausting struggle with Nurmagomedov.

However, it was precisely the apparent absence of a threat that could play a cruel joke with the Russian, because at the tournament in Abu Dhabi everything worked exclusively for Khabib. Firstly, for the first time during his speech at the UFC, his father Abdulmanap could not only second him in battle, but also take a full part in his preparation. Secondly, Nurmagomedov was surrounded by his loyal fans. Thus, the Russian could not help but feel a huge burden of responsibility, both before his family and friends, and before the army of thousands of fans.

Habib could have spoiled the mood unless his teammates made a very good performance. But if Zubayra Tukhugov could not get the better of Leron Murphy, then Islam Makhachev confidently dealt with Davy Ramos. Thus, this distraction could hardly affect the mood of the current champion.

The first American athlete appeared in the arena. Porrier looked extremely relaxed and showed complete confidence in his abilities. Singing along to his musical theme, Dustin proceeded to the octagon, receiving a mixed reaction from the public. Some actively booed the athlete, but on the whole he was met quite friendly.

But this reaction was incomparable with the one that Nurmagomedov was awarded. The favorite of the local public appeared under the roar of the crowd. Unlike his opponent, he looked much more tense, which is understandable, given the level of responsibility.

The start of the fight turned out to be extremely cautious. Despite the deafening shouts of “Habib! Habib! ”, The Russian did not immediately rush forward and chose to wait. Porrier recklessly tried to throw a low kick, for which he almost paid, but was able to avoid being transferred to the ground. However, after only a minute and a half, he still ended up on the floor. Nurmagomedov first laid down his opponent, after which he found himself in a back-mount and made an attempt to choke. It might seem that the denouement is close, but the American miraculously survived.

Until the end of the round, Nurmagomedov did not let Porrier rest. He knitted his hands and feet and closer to the ending he again found himself in a dominant position. Habib sat on his stomach and began to bombard with his elbows, but Dustin continued to fight fiercely.

In the second round, Dustin came out confused, and Nurmagomedov, on the contrary, full of self-confidence. However, it cost him a loss of concentration, which almost led to his first knockdown in his career. Habib recklessly went ahead, and then missed a smashing counterattack. The Russian miraculously stood on his feet, began to back away, after which he again began to seek happiness in the struggle.

Habib, in a proprietary manner, tied Dustin's legs, making it impossible for him to move around, and began to purposefully beat him. One of his uppercuts achieved the goal and opened a dissection above the American's left eye. But he fought with all his strength and again was able to endure the gong.

The third round began with the next takedown Nurmagomedov, which, however, almost cost him the championship. Porrier caught the Russian on the "guillotine" and did not let go for about a minute even despite the fact that he could not close the guard (to wrap his legs around the hull). At one point, it might have seemed that Habib had lost consciousness, but that was only an optical illusion. The Russian patient, got out and again switched to full mount.

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Publication from UFC Russia (@ufcrussia) Sep 7, 2019 at 1:51 pm PDT

After that, the battle developed, as in a duel with McGregor. Nurmagomedov again went behind the opponent’s back and, on the second attempt, threw a strangler from behind. Porrier tried to resist, but after a second he was forced to knock. Nurmagomedov won his 28th career victory and defended his champion title for the second time.

After the fight, Habib thanked his team, father and coach, and also expressed respect to his opponent.

“I know that Dustin does charity work. I want to sell his t-shirt and transfer the money to his fund. We showed what MMA is. This is respect for the opponent, coaches. Success comes solely through respect. This is manifested in the way you communicate with coaches, with the team, and how to maintain cleanliness in the gym. Thanks to everyone who came here in hats. I was infected with energy when I saw how many people wears them, ”Nurmagomedov said.

Porrier was so disappointed with his failure that he could not hold back his tears. He admitted that he needed to think about his future, after which he left the octagon.