Khabib
Nurmagomedov ended his Ultimate Fighting Championship tenure
with one last dominant effort.
The reigning lightweight champion received a $50,000 “Performance
of the Night” bonus for his second-round submission of Justin
Gaethje in the
UFC 254 main event at the Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.
“The Eagle” executed a takedown early in Round 2, transitioned from
an arm triangle to a mounted triangle and rendered Gaethje
unconscious at the 1:34 mark of the period. In the aftermath,
Nurmagomedov announced his retirement from mixed martial arts.
Magomed
Ankalaev captured the card’s other $50,000 “Performance of the
Night” check on the strength of a knockout of Ion
Cutelaba in a featured light heavyweight tilt. Ankalaev floored
his foe with a left hand early in the contest before dropping him
again with a counter left hook later in the frame. Punches and
hammerfists from above brought an end to the bout at the 4:19 mark
of Round 1 and allowed Ankalaev to improve to 2-0 against
Cutelaba.
Elsewhere, Casey
Kenney and Nathaniel
Wood earned “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 apiece for
their preliminary scrap at 140 pounds. In a matchup that saw the
combatants combine to land 259 significant strikes, Kenney
ultimately emerged with an entertaining three-round verdict on the
judges’ scorecards.