Khabib Nurmagomedov wins the BBC World Sport Star for the Year 2020
Former UFC fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov was named the BBC World Sport Star for the Year 2020.
The award comes after ‘The Eagle’ retired this year, boasting of an undefeated MMA record. He beat Justin Gaethje in round 2 of their lightweight championship match at UFC 254 via a triangle choke.
While the rather impressive win against Gaethje was his only fight in 2020, the award was not just for what he did inside the octagon this year.
The win against the American at UFC 254 was the last fight of his MMA career. It was also the 29th consecutive win of his career since he made his debut some 12 years back.
Khabib retired with a perfect record and an unmatched legacy. He is the longest serving UFC lightweight champion in history and is rightly regarded as one of the greats of all time.
Goddard congratulates Khabib for winning the BBC World Sport Star of the Year
One of the best referees in UFC, Marc Goddard became the latest MMA figure to congratulate the Eagle on his award.
The British referee is never afraid to share his thoughts and believed this was a huge win for the MMA world too.
Goddard recognizes what Khabib achieved for the sport. While MMA, and with it UFC, has gained mainstream popularity in the last decade, Khabib has surely taken it to another level.
The attention and the hype that his fights against Conor McGregor and Justin Gaethje attracted elevated the sport to new heights. Through his fiery personality and unrivalled mastery of Sambo, Khabib won over fans in every corner over the world.
While it does sound a bit far-fetched right now, but the reach that the sport currently has would probably not have been possible without the Russian.
A wrestler who let his fighting do the talking, Khabib took on the most feared opponents in his division and never once looked like surrendering his title.
Winning the BBC World Sport Star of the Year just indicates the popularity that Khabib reached.
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