Khabib Nurmagomedov overcame the stiff challenge that Justin Gaethje posed at UFC 254. Khabib walked away with a second-round submission win over Gaethje. Justin looked dangerous, but couldn’t get the job done. Khabib’s aggressive wrestling saw him find the perfect position for a rear-naked choke in the second round. He sinched it in and Gaethje went to sleep.

While Justin is disappointed with his performance, he pointed out a particular aspect of his game plan which was working. Gaethje had 29 significant strikes in the fight, with 15 of them being directed to Khabib’s legs. This was to slow the Dagestani’s movement, making him an easier target to strike with. It would also limit his ability to shoot for takedowns.

Gaethje said that he thinks his strategy was working well, claiming that Khabib will be limping for at least two weeks after the fight.

“I had him in trouble. I wasn’t very many kicks away from him not being able to walk. He’s gonna be limping for at least the next two weeks. That’s nothing to be proud of because I lost.”

Khabib Nurmagomedov retires as the number one P4P fighter in the world

Khabib announced his untimely retirement after the fight, claiming he made his mother a promise that he wouldn’t fight without his dad by his side. Gaethje was owed a shot at the title, and Khabib had started working on that fight while his father was still around. Now that this is done with, Khabib is free to retire.

An open request Khabib made to the UFC was to list him as the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the rankings. That request came true, as the UFC moved Jon Jones down for Khabib. While this will be a temporary change, it is nice to see the UFC honor Khabib. Jon Jones was definitely not happy to see that, though.

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The argument for Khabib for GOAT will take place again later, after the hysteria from this event dies down. While he may have been crowned the greatest fighter in the world at the moment, his all-time ranking will be deliberated on for years to come.