The showdown coming up in the Octagon on Saturday, 15 th May, 2021 between Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler for the UFC lightweight division title; which hasn’t been in anyone’s possession since March 2021, brings back memories of the former champion: Khabib Nurmagomedov, the invincible fighter who never lost a fight.
Nurmagomedov, a Russian who stood at 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) had the longest reign as a UFC
Lightweight Champion, retaining the title from April 2018 to March 2021. Nurmagomedov had a
winning streak throughout his career in the UFC, managing 29 wins in 29 bouts: A truly outstanding feat. Nurmagomedov was quite the allrounder when it came to winning bouts, as he won 8 of them by knockouts, 11 by submissions and 10 by decisions.
THE EMPTY UFC LIGHTWEIGHT THRONE AND THE BATTLE FOR ITS CROWN: The Former King of The Lightweights.
Nurmagomedov dramatically announced his retirement after winning his final bout against Justin Gaethje. He made the decision to quit three months after he lost his father who was in an induced coma because he contracted corona virus after a heart surgery. Nurmagomedov stated that he could no longer fight without his father and said he had promised his mother that he would leave UFC. He was quoted as saying: “My mother is the most precious thing I have left… You won’t push me to do things that will disappoint my mother,” he said. “I don’t even have plans for UFC in the near future.
I don’t even have any thoughts about preparing for a fight. I saw how Umar (his cousin) was preparing now, and I thought, Alhamdulillah (praise be to God) I left it behind. Nurmagomedov leaving the UFC abruptly meant that he relinquished his title, leaving the spot of “the lightweight champion” vacant.
This spot has been vacant for about two months with no one wielding the belt, however, the throne of the lightweight champion is set to be filled this weekend by either of Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler. The both of them are set to go head-to-head in what everyone expects to be a heated battle in the Octagon.
Oliveira goes into the fight with a solid record of 30 wins in 39 bouts, while Chandler goes in with a magnificent record of 22 wins in 27 fights and only 5 losses. Oliveira who is a submissions expert may be at an ever so slight disadvantage in the fight as Chandler has never been defeated by submission, but we can never tell which way the battle will sway; hence, we can only anticipate what the fight brings and hope it is as exhilarating as the hype surrounding it suggests.
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