Khabib Nurmagomedov Praises Justin Gaethje’s Title-Winning Performance at UFC 249

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 249 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.

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As one might expect, Khabib Nurmagomedov was an interested observer during the UFC 249 main event.

After Justin Gaethje claimed the interim 155-pound title with a fifth-round stoppage of Tony Ferguson at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, the Dagestani praised the performance on Twitter.

“It was so impressive, congratulations,” Nurmagomedov wrote to Gaethje. “Very smart fight.”

@Justin_Gaethje it was so impressive, congratulations. Very smart fight.

— khabib nurmagomedov (@TeamKhabib) May 10, 2020

Nurmagomedov was supposed to face Ferguson in the original UFC 249 headliner at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, on April 18. After the coronavirus pandemic hit, the reigning lightweight champion found himself stranded in Russia and was unable to return to the United States due to travel restrictions. “The Eagle” has since stated that he could be ready to fight by July if necessary.

In a separate post, Nurmagomedov made a more general statement regarding the state of competition in the UFC’s lightweight division accompanied by a picture of himself with Gaethje in the background.

“In this sport, and especially in this weight class there will always be hungry lions that will breathe down your back,” he wrote (translation via Google Translate). “If you relax, then you will end. Some leave and others come, there is nothing to be surprised. But I won’t fall before the shot. We will still fight.”

В этом спорте и особенно в этом весе всегда будут голодные львы, которые будут тебе дышат в спину, если ты расслабишься то тебе конец. Одни уходят и другие приходят, тут нечему удивляться.
Но я раньше выстрела не упаду. Мы ещё повоюем. pic.twitter.com/kxLWX8E8Ah

— khabib nurmagomedov (@TeamKhabib) May 10, 2020

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 249 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.