Shot at Conor McGregor’s title awaits Khabib Nurmagomedov after crushing Edson Barboza
Confusion reigns over lightweight crown while Irishman’s fight status remains unknown, only interim champ Ferguson stands in the Russian’s way
The second-ranked Nurmagomedov received winning scores of 30-25, 30-25 and 30-24 from the judges. Nurmagomedov improved to 25-0 overall and 9-0 in the UFC. Barboza fell to 19-5.
Nurmagomedov applied pressure from the opening seconds of the fight and secured a takedown early. From there he was able to advance position while landing heavy shots, keeping the fourth-ranked Barboza on the mat for the remainder of the round.
Khabib had Barboza pressed against the fence for the first half of the final round and secured yet another takedown, completely limiting Barboza’s ability to attack while cruising through the end of the round.
Also, former strawweight champion Carla Esparza earned a hard-fought decision victory, handing sixth-ranked Cynthia Calvillo her first professional loss, and 12th-ranked Neil Magny topped former interim welterweight champ Carlos Condit by unanimous decision.