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ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – SEPTEMBER 07: Khabib Nurmagomedov of Russia celebrates his … [+]
The long-awaited UFC lightweight title fight between champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and interim champion Dustin Poirier will take place on Saturday at Fight Island in Abu Dhabi.
Nurmagomedov captured the vacant lightweight crown in April 2018 when he defeated Al Iaquinta by decision. Iaquinta was a last minute replacement for Tony Ferguson. Nurmagomedov’s first defense of his title took place in October 2018. Nurmagomedov submitted former champion Conor McGregor by the neck in the fourth round of that contest. After the victory, the lightweight kingpin leapt into the crowd to face one of McGregor’s coaches. While that was happening on the T-Mobile Arena floor, McGregor became engaged to a couple of Nurmagomedov’s teammates inside the cage. The Nevada State Athletic Commission handed out suspensions to both fighters. When Nurmagomedov returned to action, he defeated Dustin Poirier via submission in the third round. That fight took place in September 2019. Nurmagomedov has a 28-0 career record.
Gaethje was the longtime World Series of Fighting lightweight champion before signing with the UFC in 2017. Gaethje was 17-0. He went 1-2 in his first three fights with the UFC, but has been undefeated since August 2018. Gaethje captured the 155 interim title in May with a fifth-round TKO victory over Tony Ferguson.
Gaethje’s seven UFC fights ended by knockout. He’s earned at least one fight night bonus on each of those outings.
UFC 254 takes place on Saturday from Fight Island in Abu Dhabi. The main event card airs on UFC + PPV.
Below are the first odds for UFC 254.
