Khabib Nurmagomedov was speaking Mike Tyson’s kind of language in one of his more heated UFC moments.
Nurmagomedov was often seen as a calm and stoic figure throughout his mixed martial arts career, during which he amassed a perfect 29-0 record before retiring in 2020.
But ‘The Eagle’ wasn’t averse to displaying his anger in instances where he felt disrespected. Does UFC 229 need to be mentioned?
At that pay-per-view in 2018, Nurmagomedov attacked Conor McGregor’s corner after submitting the Irishman. The Dagestani was enraged by McGregor’s many controversial comments during the build-up to their grudge match.
To a lesser extent, the then-future lightweight kingpin felt disrespected by another opponent five years prior. And when that feud got physical, a legend of boxing had a front-row seat.
Mike Tyson was pumped up after Khabib Nurmagomedov pushed Abel Trujillo at the UFC 160 weigh-ins
Before the likes of Cain Velasquez, Junior dos Santos, Glover Teixeira, Donald Cerrone, and Stephen Thompson recorded big wins at UFC 160, boxing legend Mike Tyson stood alongside Dana White for the ceremonial weigh-in faceoffs.
The most heated moment came ahead of Nurmagomedov’s prelim clash with Abel Trujillo. The Russian had a bone to pick with his opponent after ‘Killa’ chose not to shake his hand.
When the pair went forehead to forehead, ‘The Eagle’ launched his American foe with a firm two-handed push, forcing a panicked White to quickly intervene.
In the background, cameras picked up Tyson’s hilarious reaction, as ‘Iron Mike’ pumped his fists with joy at the altercation.
Khabib Nurmagomedov beat Abel Trujillo with record-breaking dominance
It’s safe to say that Nurmagomedov had the last laugh in his brief feud with Trujillo.
The Dagestani dominated his rival across three rounds, during which he took Trujillo down 21 times to set a new UFC record.
More than just recording his fourth consecutive win in the promotion, ‘The Eagle’ etched his name in history as the man responsible for arguably the most one-sided fight seen in the UFC.
Nurmagomedov’s dominance certainly didn’t stop on that day in 2013.
The Russian stayed unbeaten for the remainder of his career, winning the UFC lightweight title and comfortably brushing aside challenges from McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje.
These days, the 36-year-old is coaching the next generation of fighters. To help with that, Nurmagomedov recently revealed a new Dagestan training center.