Khabib Nurmagomedov put on arguably his best performance in the UFC on Saturday night. ‘The Eagle’ looked the best he has ever looked inside the octagon. He stopped ‘The Highlight’ inside two rounds and secured his third title defense as the lightweight champion. 

Leading up to the fight, Justin’s recent performances and his wrestling background built him up to be the toughest test for Khabib. ‘The Eagle‘ had fought no-one with the wrestling credentials that Justin had. Therefore, it made for an extremely interesting fight for fans. 

Read: Justin Gaethje reveals what he told Khabib Nurmagomedov inside the octagon after his loss 

Khabib Nurmagomedov opted for the triangle choke; Daniel Cormier reveals why

In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Daniel Cormier revealed why ‘The Eagle’ chose a triangle choke and not an armbar. Cormier said:

“He told me when he was watching the interviews over the course of the week, he saw that Justin said he would never tap…. And so, when he was going to the submission… He said it was his father’s favorite submission. So, when he got there, he was going to do the armbar.”

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Cormier continued, “But he had heard Justin all week saying he would never tap. And he did not want to hurt him in front of his parents. So he went to the triangle and put him to sleep… To be comfortable enough to think about this in the moment, that’s crazy.”

Leading up to the fight, there was an immeasurable amount of respect between the two men. UFC 254 was one of the biggest cards in UFC history. However, there was no over the top antics or trash talk that crossed lines in the buildup to the fight. 

Justin and Khabib share the same management team and have therefore had multiple interactions with each other over the course of their career. ‘The Highlight’ also helped Khabib make weight in 2016.

‘The Eagle’ even thanked Justin in his post-fight interview. 

The fact that Khabib took into consideration Justin’s parents while going for a submission showed the person Khabib is. It also showed the amount of respect he had for Justin. It was refreshing to see two of the best fighters display such a high level of respect for each other.