“Khabib haters are desperate” – VIRAL 8-second head kick ‘knockout’ of Khabib Nurmagomedov raising questions of legend’s 29-0 record

An extended video dispels rumors of Khabib Nurmagomedov's knockout in Sambo. He recovered and won the fight.

“Khabib haters are desperate” – VIRAL 8-second head kick ‘knockout’ of Khabib Nurmagomedov raising questions of legend’s 29-0 record

Khabib Nurmagomedov (Image via: IMAGO, X)

An 8-second video clip went viral on social media and caused a stir in the MMA community. In the video, a young Khabib Nurmagomedov faced a tough opponent in a Sambo competition. The video allegedly showed Nurmagomedov being knocked out with a head kick. Throughout his illustrious career in the UFC, Nurmagomedov never even got a scratch on his face. Nobody scored a knockdown on him, either.

Now, the viral clip has found clarity as the fan uploaded the full video on social media. In the video, Nurmagomedov is unfazed by the head kick. He recovered from the blow and even won the fight handily. The ambiguous nature and short duration of the viral clip were already suspicious. With the full-length clip, no doubt remained about the Nurmagomedov legacy.

YouTube video

The viral clip was thus found to be the work of Khabib Nurmagomedov’s haters. There is a propensity for elite athletes to garner haters. It is the same in the case of every other superstar in the UFC, particularly Conor McGregor. However, there are fighters like Georges St-Pierre who do not have that many haters on social media and in real life.

FS Video

Nurmagomedov is the only champion in the UFC to retire undefeated. His father’s untimely death was the root cause of his retirement. However, he is still celebrated by many across the world. He has a substantially big fanbase in UAE and Dagestan.

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s undefeated run in the UFC

Khabib Nurmagomedov only fought 13 times in the UFC. Nurmagomedov made his UFC debut opposite Kamal Shalorus and won by rear naked choke submission. He followed it up with victories over Gleison Tibau, Thiago Tavares, Abel Trujillo, and Pat Healy. These victories got him a fight with Rafael dos Anjos, which he comfortably won via unanimous decision.

Khabib Nurmagomedov
Khabib Nurmagomedov (image credit- IMAGO)

A knee injury forced him to sit out for two years, but he announced his comeback with a TKO victory over Darrel Hotcher. Subsequent victories over Michael Jonson and Edson Barboza then got him a crack at the vacant lightweight title. Nurmagomedov went on to defeat Al Iaquinta via decision at UFC 223.

Nurmagomedov’s defense of the lightweight title was against Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje. Nurmagomedov finished all three aforementioned via submission. Unfortunately for many fans worldwide, Nurmagomedov retired from combat sports at his mother’s insistence. Moreover, fans also regret that a fight between Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson did not materialize even though the UFC scheduled the two to fight five times.

In case you missed it!