After the departure of Khabib Nurmagomedov from the UFC, amazing things are happening in his lightweight division. Brazilian Charles Oliveira first unexpectedly took the belt, and then lost it without even entering the octagon. The fighter failed the weight race, failing to achieve the necessary indicators, and became the first champion in history to lose the title due to unsuccessful weighing.

The previous lightweight champion of the organization was far from always able to show the necessary numbers on the scales. Before one of his first fights in the UFC, Khabib Nurmagomedov suffered a resounding fiasco at the weigh-in. The Russian even had to apologize to his opponent!

The rival responded to the gentlemanly gesture of Orel with blatant rudeness. And then he paid for it in the octagon, having suffered a humiliating defeat in front of the home audience!

An unexpected fiasco

The 2013 fight with Abel Trujillo was initially fundamental for Khabib. By that time, the Russian’s career in the UFC had just begun: under the auspices of the organization, Nurmagomedov had only three fights, so he had yet to turn into the main star of American promotion.

At the same time, Eagle, oddly enough, had never met with rivals from the USA itself. The duel with Trujillo was doubly responsible because he needed to fight the American in front of a strange audience – in Las Vegas, which means – under tremendous pressure.

Khabib Nurmagomedov / Photo: © Josh Hedges / Contributor / UFC / Gettyimages.com

Khabib’s preparation for the fight did not work out at all. At the very beginning, the Russian got a leg injury and eventually spent a lot of time on treatment. Due to the long recovery, the fighter had serious problems with weight. Usually, Nurmagomedov had to weigh in about 15 kilograms: between fights, the athlete weighed about 85 kg, and performed in the category up to 70.3 kg.

Ultimately, Nurmagomedov failed to make weight by the time. His figures were 71.89 kg: Oliveira’s advantage in comparison with this result is just an error.

“Respect comes first”

Of course, the athlete knew about his failure in advance. Nurmagomedov was well aware that he would not be able to correct his mistake, and therefore, unlike the Brazilian, he refused the second attempt, agreeing to a substantial fine: he amounted to 20% of the fee. At the same time, one half of the amount was supposed to go to the promotion, and the other half to Khabib’s rival.

However, Trujillo did not seem to be pleased with this circumstance. Even before the weigh-in, Khabib decided to show gentlemanly qualities – and approached the opponent backstage to apologize for the inconvenience caused. But the Russian received a very unexpected response to the gesture of respect, which instantly threw him off balance. The American practically spat in his face!

“I grew up where respect comes first. I always respect all athletes, whether it is my opponent or not. Before the weigh-in, I approached him and apologized. I extended my hand to him, and he did not answer me. Where I grew up, it’s a big disrespect not to answer when you hold out your hand,” Khabib said.

Khabib Nurmagomedov, Abel Trujillo / Photo: © Josh Hedges / Contributor / UFC / Gettyimages.com

The Russian came to the weighing procedure itself already on edge. When it came to the duel of views, Khabib simply could not restrain himself and became furious. Trujillo poked the Russian with his forehead – and Nurmagomedov instantly exploded. The Russian powerfully pushed the opponent and, it seems, wanted to continue the showdown right in front of Mike Tyson, but the organizers quickly parted the fighters in the corners.

Khabib punished Trujillo for rudeness

Later, Khabib admitted that Trujillo’s boorish behavior made him very angry – and additionally charged before an important fight. The act of the American eventually came out sideways to him: on May 25, Oryol severely punished his opponent for disrespect. The American had to regret his low deed.

Nurmagomedov set a historical record with 21 takedowns in one fight. Khabib threw his opponent over and over again, turning him into a laughing stock by the middle of the fight. The American simply crumbled under the pressure of the enemy, practically giving up counterattacks. Khabib’s victory was recognized by the judges unanimously. But before the fight, Trujillo promised to “finish the fight ahead of schedule” and even “finish off” the Russian …

Khabib Nurmagomedov, Abel Trujillo / Photo: © Donald Miralle / Contributor / UFC / Gettyimages.com

“If there is a desire, there is always a solution”

As it turned out after a while, Khabib’s tactics were actually dictated not only by the desire to humiliate his opponent. The fact is that Nurmagomedov never managed to fully recover from the injury:

– A month before the fight, I injured the lateral ligaments of the knee and could not take the opponent’s back. The solution was simple. Just grab and throw for 15 minutes non-stop. If there is a desire, there will always be a solution, ”Khabib explained.

One way or another, the young fighter managed to turn the fiasco at the weigh-in into a resounding victory – neither injury, nor the pressure of American fans, nor the scandalous antics of his opponent prevented this. So Oliveira should not despair in advance – it is better to take an example from his predecessor. Although the victory over Gaethje will not return the title, it will allow him to remain the mandatory challenger, and therefore the stakes for the Brazilian are still high.