Khabib posted an X-ray of his broken toe
from Oct. 7, two weeks before he would compete at
#UFC254(via @TeamKhabib)
pic.twitter.com/k3FAPeHRVz— ESPN MMA (@espnmma)
October 27, 2020
In addition to the emotional anguish of losing his father earlier
this year, Khabib
Nurmagomedov dealt with some physical hardships heading into
UFC 254.
The lightweight champion shared on social media an X-ray of a broke
toe suffered on Oct. 7, a little more than two weeks before his
headlining showdown with Justin
Gaethje in Abu Dhabi. Despite that injury, Nurmagomedov was his
usual dominant self in submitting Gaethje with a triangle choke
1:34 into Round 2 of their 155-pound title bout.
“What this guy has been through, we’re all lucky that we got to see
him fight tonight,” UFC president Dana White said at the post-fight
press conference. “Apparently he was in the hospital, he broke his
foot. Three weeks ago. So he has two broken toes and a bone in his
foot that’s broken, or something like that. That’s what his corner
was telling me. Never told anybody. He is one of the toughest human
beings on the planet. He is the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in
the world. Seriously, you have to start putting him up there with
GOAT status with whoever else you think is the GOAT.”
Nurmagomedov announced his retirement immediately after the
victory, exiting the sport with a 29-0 career mark. “The Eagle”
emerged from this encounter with Gaethje relatively unscathed, as
he received just a mandatory seven-day medical suspension after the
bout.