October 24, 2020. That was the night the air felt different in Abu Dhabi. If you were watching UFC 254, you probably remember the eerie silence of the Flash Forum. No roaring crowd, just the thud of leather on skin and the frantic instructions from the corners. It was the setting for Khabib Nurmagomedov last fight, a performance that looked dominant on the screen but was secretly falling apart behind the scenes.
Most fans see the 29-0 record and think it was just another day at the office for "The Eagle." It wasn't. Honestly, it’s a miracle he even made it to the cage. Between a broken foot, a bout of mumps, and the crushing weight of his father’s recent passing, the man was held together by nothing but sheer will and a promise.
The Secret Injuries Nobody Knew About
You've heard the rumors, but the reality was actually worse. Dana White dropped the bombshell right after the fight: Khabib had been in the hospital just three weeks before facing the most dangerous leg-kicker in the division. He had two broken toes and a broken bone in his foot.
Think about that for a second.
MMA is a sport of inches, and Justin Gaethje’s entire game plan revolved around chopping down Khabib's lead leg. Walking on a broken foot is hard enough; trying to time a double-leg takedown against an All-American wrestler while your toes are in pieces is psycho behavior. But it wasn't just the foot. His coach, Javier Mendez, later revealed that Khabib actually had the mumps two weeks before training camp even started. The guy was physically depleted before the first bell even rang.
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Why the First Round Was Actually Scary
If you rewatch the first round, you’ll notice Gaethje was actually finding some success. In fact, for only the second time in his entire 29-fight career, the judges actually scored a round against Khabib. Two of the three judges gave the first frame to Gaethje.
Gaethje was landing. Hard.
Those leg kicks were thudding into Khabib's shins, and for a moment, it looked like the "The Highlight" might actually pull off the upset. But Khabib’s pressure was relentless. He wasn't just fighting Gaethje; he was fighting the clock. He knew his body was failing, so he pushed a pace that basically forced Gaethje to drown in deep water.
The Technical Masterclass
- The Takedown: Khabib didn't just dive for a shot. He pressured Gaethje against the fence, waited for a heavy leg kick, and then used that momentum to drive through.
- The Transition: Once it hit the floor, it was over. Khabib moved from a mounted position to a triangle choke with a fluidity that looked like a video game.
- The Finish: At 1:34 of the second round, Gaethje was unconscious. The referee, Jason Herzog, actually missed the first couple of taps because Khabib was so positioned that the ref couldn't see the hand.
The Promise to His Mother
The image that sticks with everyone isn't the choke. It’s Khabib collapsing in the center of the Octagon, sobbing. This was his first fight without his father and lifelong coach, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, who had passed away earlier that year due to COVID-19 complications.
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The world thought he’d go for 30-0. It’s a nice, round number. But Khabib revealed in his post-fight interview that he had talked to his mother for three days before agreeing to the Gaethje fight. She didn't want him to continue without his father. He gave her his word that this would be his final walk.
"I promised her, it’s going to be my last fight," he told a stunned Joe Rogan. When a man from Dagestan gives his word to his mother, that’s basically the end of the conversation.
What Most People Get Wrong
There’s a common narrative that Khabib "escaped" the division before the next generation of killers arrived. That’s kinda ridiculous. Look at who he beat in his final three: Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje. He didn't just beat them; he finished all of them.
The Khabib Nurmagomedov last fight wasn't a decline; it was a peak. He left while he was still the undisputed number one pound-for-pound fighter on the planet. He demanded the UFC put him at the top of that list the following Tuesday, and they did.
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Lessons From the Eagle’s Departure
If you're a fan of the sport or just someone looking for inspiration, there’s a lot to take away from how Khabib ended things.
- Integrity over Money: He walked away from tens of millions of dollars for a potential McGregor rematch because his word meant more than his bank account.
- Adaptability: He fought a striking-heavy game in the first round because he knew his foot couldn't handle the lateral movement required for his usual wrestling-heavy approach.
- Mental Fortitude: Fighting through grief is a different kind of cardio. Most people can't get out of bed after losing a parent, let alone defend a world title.
To really understand the legacy here, go back and watch the footwork in that second round. Notice how he barely puts weight on the ball of his left foot. It’s a subtle detail that shows just how much pain he was masking.
If you want to dive deeper into the technical side, look up Javier Mendez’s interviews regarding the "worst camp ever." It adds a layer of respect to a performance that already seemed perfect.
Check out the official UFC 254 archives if you want to see the judge's scorecards for yourself—it’s one of the few times you’ll see Khabib actually "losing" on paper before the finish.