Khabib Nurmagomedov has defeated three of the best lightweights in the world in his three title defenses. However, Nate Diaz, who has fought for the 155-pounds belt once, thinks none of these three accomplished fighters had the ground game to hang with Khabib Nurmagomedov on the ground.

The undefeated lightweight kingpin defeated Justin Gaethje at the headliner of UFC 254. Several fans expected that Gaethje would be the toughest test for the champion. However, the fighter training out of American Kickboxing Academy walked Gaethje down in the first round.

For the ferocious striker that Gaethje is, he still couldn’t stop Khabib from pressuring forward. Regardless of that, Gaethje won the round on two out of the three judges’ scorecards. When the fight hit the ground in the second round, Gaethje didn’t have an answer to the grappling pedigree of ‘The Eagle’.

The Russian secured a triangle choke, thus forcing Gaethje to tap out.

Right after the fight ended, Nate Diaz took to Twitter and labeled Gaethje a ‘white belt’. The former title challenger also targeted Khabib’s previous two opponents, Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor.

The younger of the two Diaz brothers has an excellent ground game. He is known for pulling off slick submissions, even off of his back. However, Diaz fighting inside the Octagon has been a rather sporadic occurrence as of late. He came back last year after a long layoff and fought, splitting the results on the two occasions.

The retirement of Khabib Nurmagomedov has left the 155-pound throne up for grabs

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s reign at the top wasn’t particularly long when compared to some others like Anderson Silva, Jon Jones, or Demetrious Johnson. However, he faced a tough challenge on his way to the top and even as a champion. The icing on the cake is the fact that he kept getting better even till his last Octagon outing.

With Khabib announcing his retirement, the title is up for grabs. Top-ranked contenders such as Justin Gaethje, Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, Tony Ferguson, and the newly signed Michael Chandler will be in line to fight for the vacant belt.

Read More: Is Jon Jones Better Than Khabib Nurmagomedov?

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