Khabib Nurmagomedov defeated Rafael dos Anjos on this day in 2016

UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov turned the clock back by sharing his win over Rafael dos Anjos.

The fight took place exactly four years back and Khabib was 21-0 heading into that fight. The current champion spoke about how close he was to winning the title back then. However, he suffered a big knee injury after that clash.

Khabib was out of action for two years. However, he made a return at UFC on Fox: Teixeira vs Evans to beat Darrell Horcher.

There were talks of him facing Tony Ferguson and for the title, but injuries kept cropping up for the Russian.

Khabib did win the title after beating Al Iaquinta, and reminded fans via Instagram of how dominant he has been over the last four years:

“But then I got a very serious knee injury and the fighter I throw on this video became the champion, then I got another knee tear during the return, then a rib fracture, after which I could only return after 2 years.

“But what happened after the return is history, a story that will be remembered as the most dominant four years in the history of @ufc.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/B_LFu9BlRR2/

Khabib stuck in Russia

There is no doubting how great Khabib has been in the world of MMA. The Russian is 28-0 and last beat Dustin Poirier at UFC 242. He was set to face Ferguson at UFC 249 but that was cancelled recently.

Khabib cannot fight in the UFC for a while as he is stuck in Russia due to the coronavirus pandemic. The 31-year-old will keep his title for now as an interim championship fight between Ferguson and Justin Gaethje has been set up.

That will take place on 9 May, at least according to Dana White, and it will be interesting to see if the clash does happen.

Khabib should get to fight the winner of that clash to be the undisputed champion, and he will be extra motivated to do that once he returns to action.

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