Top 5: Khabib Nurmagomedov Finishes

Khabib Nurmagomedov made Conor McGregor walk the plank before a crowd of more than 20,000 onlookers deep in the Mojave Desert.

The indomitable Russian retained the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight title and logged perhaps the most significant victory of his career when he submitted McGregor with a neck crank in the fourth round of their UFC 229 main event on Oct. 6, 2018 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The end came 3:03 into Round 4.

Nurmagomedov overwhelmed the loose-lipped Irishman with determined takedowns, focused ground-and-pound and suffocating positional control. McGregor was essentially a non-factor outside of the third round. Nurmagomedov struck for another takedown in the fourth, climbed to mount and unleashed punches before transitioning to the back, his master plan unfolding for all to see. Soon after, he wrapped his arms around McGregor’s neck, closed off escape routes and prompted the tapout. In the immediate aftermath, Nurmagomedov scaled the fence and attempted to attack Dillon Danis, one of McGregor’s cornerman, his actions inciting a melee on the floor of the arena. Meanwhile, two men in Nurmagomedov’s entourage entered the cage and took swings at McGregor, with the former champion returning fire in self-defense. Pandemonium ensued, marring an otherwise outstanding event.


Nevertheless, it remains one of the most memorable finishes of Nurmagomedov’s remarkable career, which spanned more than a dozen years and included a 1,077-day reign as UFC lightweight champion. Four more worthy of consideration:

Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Kamal Shalorus

UFC on FX 1
Jan. 20, 2012 | Nashville, Tennessee
Nurmagomedov shined in his organizational debut and disposed of the former World Extreme Cagefighting headliner with a rear-naked choke in the third round of their lightweight prelim at Bridgestone Arena. Shalorus, who had never before been submitted, checked out 2:08 into Round 3. Operating in the shadows of the Melvin Guillard-Jim Miller main event, Nurmagomedov floored the Iranian with a beautiful counter left hook in the first round, then swarmed with punches and hammerfists. Though his efforts failed to procure a finish, the damage was done and Shalorus was never the same. From there, Nurmagomedov attacked with series of single-leg takedowns and multi-punch combinations on his rattled opponent. In the third round, he put Shalorus on the ground, shrugged off an attempted guillotine, passed to side control and transitioned immediately to mount. The “Prince of Persia” yielded his back and soon succumbed to the choke.

Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Michael Johnson

UFC 205
Nov. 12, 2016 | New York
Rarely has such a high-level fight been so one-sided. Nurmagomedov made an example of “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 12 finalist when he dismissed him with a kimura in the third round of their lightweight showcase at Madison Square Garden. Referee John McCarthy waved it off 2:31 into Round 3. Nurmagomedov landed 140 of his 190 total strikes, executed two takedowns and passed guard six times, taunting Johnson—he could be heard urging him to quit—as he tortured him. While “The Menace” was reasonably competitive in the first round, the same cannot be said for the second and third. Across those seven-plus minutes, Johnson found the mark with just four of his 26 attempted strikes. Nurmagomedov by comparison connected on 91 of them, then isolated an arm and discarded the Kill Cliff Fight Club rep like yesterday’s news.

Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Dustin Poirier

UFC 242
Sept. 7, 2019 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Nurmagomedov bolstered his resume and grew his legend when he turned away the American Top Team ace with a rear-naked choke in the third round of their headliner at Du Arena. Poirier decided it was time to call it a day 2:06 into Round 3, as he became the next-to-last victim of a runaway Dagestani freight train. Nurmagomedov offered “The Diamond” a few glimmers of hope: Poirier appeared to connect with a sharp right hand in the second round and went all-in on a guillotine choke in the third. It was a classic case of fool’s gold. Nurmagomedov extricated himself from the guillotine, moved to the Lafayette, Louisiana, native’s back and snuck the rear-naked choke into place when Poirier made the mistake of leaving his chin too high and his neck exposed. The proverbial walls had closed in.

Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Justin Gaethje

UFC 254
Oct. 24, 2020 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
In his first appearance since the death of his father, Nurmagomedov choked the former World Series of Fighting titleholder unconscious with a second-round triangle to retain his undisputed lightweight championship in their main event at the Flash Forum. Gaethje lost consciousness 94 seconds into Round 2, having been submitted for the first time in his career. Afterward, Nurmagomedov retired from mixed martial artis with a perfect 29-0 record. “The Eagle” pushed his counterpart beyond his bounds with relentless pressure and maniacal forward movement. Gaethje connected with a number of his patented leg kicks but could not keep the champion at bay. Nurmagomedov struck for a takedown in the closing seconds of the first round, advanced to full mount and threatened with an armbar in a foreshadowing of what was to come. He executed another takedown early in Round 2, framed an arm-triangle and then moved to a mounted triangle. Before Gaethje could muster a defense, the choke was secured and his fate was sealed.