The UFC is always looking for fresh faces to market and pin against their stable of champions, so when a promising new contender emerges, the promotion usually takes full advantage.
After Khabib Nurmagomedov’s impressive performance at UFC 165 in Toronto on Saturday, the UFC should do all it can to ensure he becomes a marketable contender in the stacked lightweight division.
Nurmagomedov improved to 21-0 in MMA with a dominant unanimous decision over veteran Pat Healy, who had only lost once in the last four years.
The 25-year-old Russian made quite the impression at the Air Canada Centre. With an ability to mix in unconventional striking techniques, advanced grappling and strong takedowns, he has the skill set and physical tools to compete against, and beat, the best in the division.
“Here’s the thing I love about this kid: this kid comes out and goes for it,” UFC president Dana White said at the UFC 165 post-fight press conference.
“He went in there against a bigger, stronger dude — I mean if you look at how big Healy is for that division, he’s huge — and (Nurmagomedov) was getting hit with big shots tonight. He can wrestle; he can punch; he’s got good punching power too; even against a bigger, stronger guy he was hurting him in that fight.”
One of the moments that stood out was a huge slam Nurmagomedov landed against Healy, which had the 15,504 fans at the ACC going wild.
“When I picked him up and carried him across the cage, it crossed my mind that I should do it, slam him down for the fans,” Nurmagomedov said through a translator. “It’s something I loved doing growing up with my brothers.”
Next to the craziness that occurred in the main event, Nurmagomedov’s slam resulted in the loudest ovation of the night and it made quite the impression on White.
“That slam. That reminded me of old Matt Hughes style where you run a guy across the Octagon and slam him,” White said. “The kid’s exciting, he’s talented and I think (Saturday) he showed everybody what he’s got. … I like mean fighters, man. This kid’s mean. I love that.”
A ringing endorsement from the president of the largest MMA organization in the world goes a long way towards building up a fan base.
In addition to his skills in the cage and the unblemished record he’s amassed, he also has a personality that the UFC can use to increase his star power.
One thing he’s becoming known for is the blonde, bushy headgear he wears during weigh-ins and when he walks out to the Octagon.
A lot of people think it’s a wig and some type of gimmick, but it has much more significance to Nurmagomedov.
“It’s not a wig, it’s my ethnic headgear from the south part of Russia and we usually wear it when we go to wars, so we mean business when we put it on,” explained Nurmagomedov, who now trains out of the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose.
He’s not afraid to speak his mind either and, as we’ve seen with fighters like Chael Sonnen and others, that can take you places. In the summer, Nurmagomedov challenged Canadian lightweight contender T.J. Grant and prior to that he asked for a fight with former champion and future Hall of Famer B.J. Penn. After his win over Healy, he pleaded: “Listen to me. UFC, give me title shot.”
He certainly doesn’t lack confidence or drive and he knows exactly what he wants.
Good fighters make their way into the UFC all the time, but potential title challengers are few and far between. Nurmagomedov is now at the point where he must be considered close to a title shot.
He’s 5-0 in the UFC and all five of his wins have been dominant over world class opponents.
Light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones got a title shot in his eighth UFC appearance; heavyweight kingpin Cain Velasquez got one in his seventh UFC fight; and recently-crowned middleweight champ Chris Weidman was just 5-0 in the UFC when he earned his shot against Anderson Silva earlier this year.
It’s not a stretch to think Nurmagomedov could be awarded a title shot with one more impressive win over a top contender.
“We’re probably going to do big things with this kid. I love this kid,” White added.