Can we take the time and appreciate the greatness of Team Khabib tonight?

[MarioLemieux]

They are the only gym to ever have 2 p4p #1 fighters in a row in a single gym, in a region half the size of Ireland.

One of their fighters finally lost against an incredible champion after losing a close decision and breaking his hand in the first round (most likely on Merab's head when he rocked him) and people are acting like they lost the superbowl after going 2-1 tonight. That's how good they are. Boasting such an amazing record that a single loss brings their win % down significantly and has everyone freaking out.

Would Umar have won if he had two hands for the remainder of the fight tipping it in his favour, or is Merab's freakish cardio just too much for anyone?

The beauty of MMA is we'll probably get to find out... and this is just the beginning, Khabib's gym in Dagestan boasts 30 young and upcoming killers according to a recent interview.

 

[HHJ]

well Islam did all that shit by himself hahaha

 

[MarioLemieux]

Let's not forget Tagir's W. Islam is the beneficiary of Abdulmanap and getting beaten up by Khabib in the gym his whole life.

 

[MarioLemieux]

Win or lose

 

[PulsingJones]

The Dagi haters were so happy about a close, competitive loss with Umar, then immediately back to crying after Islam tore through Moicano like a hot knife through butter... Islam ruined their night lmao

I actually think Umar did better than I expected, I said before that Merab's better wresting will prove too much for him, people see the Nurmagomedov name but as casuals they don't know that Khabib's two cousins are kickboxers first and foremost, they don't fight like Khabib or Islam at all.

Make Umar VS Yan next

 

[MarioLemieux]

I don't think Usman or Umar have near Khabib's top control, which let's face it made him near invincible. Hell, I don't even think Islam does as we saw in several of his fights but both are more wrestling heavy than Usman and Umar... on the other hand Usman and Umar are so well rounded I think they can become dominant UFC champs. It took Merab's freak cardio and a broken hand to stop Umar.

Maybe Umar bit off a little more than he can chew with Merab at this point, but I think he could have possibly nabbed another round with his hand in tact which would have won him the fight. Merab's cardio is god-given though. No amount of training can ever replicate the pace he puts on. If Umar fights him again he'll have to at least have to best him for 3 rounds.

 

[Pancake Sprawl]

Win or lose

when i read "Khabib console Umar" i thought Khabib was going to break Umar's playstation like Abubakar's.

 

[tritestill]

They're a great team, only delusional people say otherwise

 

[clackers]

Umar got spanked. It wasn’t a close fight no disrespect to Umar but he looked gassed in 4 the and 5 th round.

Merab was literally throwing him around the Octagon.

Merab pushed the pace Umar looked like he wanted it to end sooner because he was exhausted.

 

[Cartiac]

I am a Khabib fan and this was a big L for his team. Merab proved he is more like Khabib than any of his team, fighting with constant forward pressure, complete confidence in himself, no fear, and making up for what he lacks in striking technique with dominating wrestling ability. Islam did not have a competitive opponent, but it would have been interesting if he did. Usman's stock just seriously dropped as well.

 

[Doctor Grudge]

Umar isn't as good as Merab. It's that simple.

 

[thorcorm]

The Dagi haters were so happy about a close, competitive loss with Umar, then immediately back to crying after Islam tore through Moicano like a hot knife through butter... Islam ruined their night lmao

I actually think Umar did better than I expected, I said before that Merab's better wresting will prove too much for him, people see the Nurmagomedov name but as casuals they don't know that Khabib's two cousins are kickboxers first and foremost, they don't fight like Khabib or Islam at all.

Make Umar VS Yan next

Alright my little Dagi glazer. Leave some for the rest of the fan boys.

 

[maximus__]

The Dagi haters were so happy about a close, competitive loss with Umar, then immediately back to crying after Islam tore through Moicano like a hot knife through butter... Islam ruined their night lmao

I actually think Umar did better than I expected, I said before that Merab's better wresting will prove too much for him, people see the Nurmagomedov name but as casuals they don't know that Khabib's two cousins are kickboxers first and foremost, they don't fight like Khabib or Islam at all.

Make Umar VS Yan next

People keep saying that Merab was point fighting. What got exposed tonight is that Umar can be pressured whilst he throws out his own point fighting strikes.

He didn't have the wrestling to fall back on against vs Merab, but previously he has been rushed and hurt.

Merab broke him and had him out there with the excuses straight away, even though we all saw Merab's leg and he probably hasn't been able to train properly most of the camp.

The better fighter won tonight. Merab withstood the early shots and put the pressure on late and made Umar wilt.
Umar will come back and I think he gets the belt, but I don't think he holds it long if he gets it.
Yan vs Umar sounds great. I definitely I back Yan in that fight if it's a 5 rounder.

 

[loisestrad]

Lol @ TS acting like he's the level headed, mature one - and yet he isn't capable of mentioning Merab winning without mentioning Umar's broken hand, with sneaky salty comments such as "Would Umar have won if he had two hands for the remainder of the fight tipping it in his favour?" and "after losing a close decision and breaking his hand in the first round (most likely on Merab's head when he rocked him)".

Sure tastes a bit salty in here...

 

[xhaydenx]

The Tagir win was pretty unimpressive. He came to point fight against a way smaller guy who wasn't all that good.

Then Umar got exposed badly by Merab.

Then Islam ran through Moiciano who is ranked 10th, not elite, and was there on 2 days notice. Big deal.

It wasn't all that impressive by team Dagestan.

 

[UppercutFromHades]

They are the only gym to ever have 2 p4p #1 fighters in a row in a single gym, in a region half the size of Ireland.

One of their fighters finally lost against an incredible champion after losing a close decision and breaking his hand in the first round (most likely on Merab's head when he rocked him) and people are acting like they lost the superbowl after going 2-1 tonight. That's how good they are. Boasting such an amazing record that a single loss brings their win % down significantly and has everyone freaking out.

Would Umar have won if he had two hands for the remainder of the fight tipping it in his favour, or is Merab's freakish cardio just too much for anyone?

The beauty of MMA is we'll probably get to find out... and this is just the beginning, Khabib's gym in Dagestan boasts 30 young and upcoming killers according to a recent interview.

Exactly that. Islam is the LW GOAT, Umar did well and lost a decision - his broken hand obviously hindered him. He is young, his time will surely come.
There will be a rematch, not immediately, but down the line and he'll right this error I suspect. Kudos to Merab, he's a machine.
Tagir looked good as well.

 

[bean88]

Get off the Khabib deep throating

Umar got spanked and came out with excuses instantly. He was still throwing punches the whole fight he just got fuckin gassed out like everybody does vs Merab

Islam did what was expected and ran through somebody who shouldn’t have been in there, he still got dropped in the process

 

[MarioLemieux]

I don't get why people are salty about me mentioning Umar broke his hand after the first round when he did, and also pretending that it wasn't a close fight when he would have won with just one more round which he very well could have if he hadn't broken his hand in the first. 48-47 on two score cards.



This is not Umar getting exposed he has proven he can go 5 against Corey. He was just up against a freak. Nobody in the UFC could keep that pace with Merab... he's a freak of nature.

See how this is a balanced take? I've given Merab props for his strengths but I'm keeping it 100 because you're insane if you think a broken hand in the first round has no impact on the fight...

Ultimately it doesn't matter because Merab won and the history books will always reflect this.

Just like they'll reflect Team Khabib having 2 p4p #1 fighters in a row, and most likely several more champs down the line and being the greatest team in MMA history. Remember, this is just the beginning. There are many more in queue... including Umar himself.

 

[Cartiac]

Get off the Khabib deep throating

Umar got spanked and came out with excuses instantly. He was still throwing punches the whole fight he just got fuckin gassed out like everybody does vs Merab

Islam did what was expected and ran through somebody who shouldn’t have been in there, he still got dropped in the process

This event made it very clear, these guys are not Khabib. Umar within seconds says he doesn't think he won the fight, then makes the excuse he broke his hand, then says he doesn't think he lost the fight. Umar showed a lot of weakness in that fight, but none of it indicating a broken hand that is much harder to hide than the mental/physical fatigue he showed no effort to hide. Khabib probably needs to smesh that dude's hand to produce x-rays to back up his claim and justify a rematch.

 

[MarioLemieux]

Umar's hand was double the size post fight. MRI will show his hand was broken. Why wouldn't he mention it?

It's impressive that he even went the next 4 and won one of them.

That doesn't take anything away from Merab. It's not his fault that his opponent broke his hand. He did his job and looked like the force we are getting used to seeing in him. It's clear Umar doesn't have his cardio but nobody in the UFC does.