Road To Recovery Remains Uncertain For Khabib Nurmagomedov
Road To Recovery Remains Uncertain For Khabib Nurmagomedov
Khabib Nurmagomedov will look to make a mark in his comeback fight against Tony Ferguson, but will he ever return to his pre-injury greatness?
By Roy Billington
Orlando, Florida, April 16, 2014 - Khabib Nurmagomedov stands victorious in front of a partisan crowd. Over the course of three rounds, Chechnyan star, Nurmagomedov manhandled the highly-touted Rafael dos Anjos. From the opening bell onwards, Nurmagomedov out grappled his foe and scored his most impressive victory to date, with 22-straight victories Nurmagomedov stood on the cusp of a title shot, but over the course of the next two years his career would hang in the balance.
Nurmagomedov was always destined for success, from an early age he was coached daily by his father, a sambo and wrestling star. When Nurmagomedov decided to leave a successful career in combat sambo behind and focus on MMA his success was immediate. On a regional level Nurmagomedov excelled, amassing a 16-0 record within 3 years of his professional debut, something that is typically unheard of in the sport.
When Khabib Nurmagomedov signed a six fight contract with the UFC in 2011, he was relatively unknown by fight fans in America. For his debut fight, Khabib was pitted against WEC veteran Kamal Shalorus, who was renowned for his wrestling pedigree. When Khabib faced Shalorus he put on an amazing performance, from bell-to-bell Nurmagomedov ragdolled the stout wrestler before spectacularly submitting him with a rear-naked choke in the final round.
Nurmagomedov’s performance against Shalorus was just the tip of the iceberg. Over the following two-and-a-half years, Nurmagomedov would put on a variety of dominant performances, ranging from a lightening quick finish over Thiago Tavares, to a 3 round domination of Blackzillian stand out, Abel Trujillo. A solid victory over Pat Healy earned him a fight against Rafael dos Anjos and dos Anjos too succumbed to the grappling savvy of the Chechnyan.
With his victory over Rafael dos Anjos, Khabib Nurmagomedov seemed set for stardom, with a number one contender fight scheduled with Donald Cerrone, but within in a matter of minute his career would come crashing around him. Just 30 minutes after signing a contract for the biggest fight of his career, Nurmagomedov completely tore apart his knee ligaments.
The general prognosis for a ligament injury is 6-9 months without training, but Khabib, a work horse by nature, may well have began training too soon after his surgery. After his fight against Cerrone was rebooked disaster struck once more as Nurmagomedov reinjured his knee, forcing him out for a further year. To make matters worse, when Nurmagomedov knee finally healed he suffered a rib injury once again forcing him out of action.
While Nurmagomedov was on the sideline, the UFC lightweight division continued to move forward. Nurmagomedov was forced to endure the heartache of seeing the man he last defeated, Rafael dos Anjos, beat Anthony Pettis for the UFC title. In Nurmagomedov’s absence stars rose and champions fell and the Chechnyan was stuck on the outside looking in on a division that many felt he was primed to dominate.
When it comes to knee injuries there are very few fighters who return to top form upon recovery. It can be argued that Georges St. Pierre, who like Nurmagomedov, predominantly relied upon his grappling prowess, never got back to full form after his ACL tear. The road to recovery is over for Khabib, but the path to regaining his form remains uncertain, though there is one man that Nurmagomedov can look to as an inspiration.
UFC Bantamweight champion, Dominick Cruz has fought just twice since 2011 and he should be considered the perfect role model for Nurmagomedov. Like Khabib, Cruz tore his ACL and MCL on multiple occasions. Over the course of the last 5 years there has been numerous moments where MMA insiders expected Dominick Cruz to imminently announce his retirement, but he never did. In a sport awash with doubters, Cruz kept his head down and took his time with his recovery and when he did make it back to the cage against TJ Dillashaw, he looked absolutely phenomenal.
The obvious issue with comparing Khabib to Cruz is that Khabib favors a grappling heavy approach more so than Cruz, but in Cruz’s fight with Dillashaw, he showed a remarkable amount of lateral movement and also looked comfortable while changing levels and securing takedowns. Cruz proved that it is possible for a fighter to return to his pre-injury form and if Khabib can and he beats Tony Ferguson at UFC on FOX 19, it will be hard to deny him of a title shot.
Khabib Nurmagomedov proved in his pre-injury UFC career that he is among the elite of the elite and if he gets to rematch Rafael dos Anjos for the UFC title things will get interesting. Since their first fight, RDA has made great strides technically, but the magnitude of the beating that Nurmagomedov gave dos Anjos in their first fight makes Nurmagomedov hard to bet against.
Khabib Nurmagomedov faces Tony Ferguson in the main event of UFC on FOX 19, from Tampa, Florida on April, 16.
Orlando, Florida, April 16, 2014 - Khabib Nurmagomedov stands victorious in front of a partisan crowd. Over the course of three rounds, Chechnyan star, Nurmagomedov manhandled the highly-touted Rafael dos Anjos. From the opening bell onwards, Nurmagomedov out grappled his foe and scored his most impressive victory to date, with 22-straight victories Nurmagomedov stood on the cusp of a title shot, but over the course of the next two years his career would hang in the balance.
Nurmagomedov was always destined for success, from an early age he was coached daily by his father, a sambo and wrestling star. When Nurmagomedov decided to leave a successful career in combat sambo behind and focus on MMA his success was immediate. On a regional level Nurmagomedov excelled, amassing a 16-0 record within 3 years of his professional debut, something that is typically unheard of in the sport.
When Khabib Nurmagomedov signed a six fight contract with the UFC in 2011, he was relatively unknown by fight fans in America. For his debut fight, Khabib was pitted against WEC veteran Kamal Shalorus, who was renowned for his wrestling pedigree. When Khabib faced Shalorus he put on an amazing performance, from bell-to-bell Nurmagomedov ragdolled the stout wrestler before spectacularly submitting him with a rear-naked choke in the final round.
Nurmagomedov’s performance against Shalorus was just the tip of the iceberg. Over the following two-and-a-half years, Nurmagomedov would put on a variety of dominant performances, ranging from a lightening quick finish over Thiago Tavares, to a 3 round domination of Blackzillian stand out, Abel Trujillo. A solid victory over Pat Healy earned him a fight against Rafael dos Anjos and dos Anjos too succumbed to the grappling savvy of the Chechnyan.
With his victory over Rafael dos Anjos, Khabib Nurmagomedov seemed set for stardom, with a number one contender fight scheduled with Donald Cerrone, but within in a matter of minute his career would come crashing around him. Just 30 minutes after signing a contract for the biggest fight of his career, Nurmagomedov completely tore apart his knee ligaments.
The general prognosis for a ligament injury is 6-9 months without training, but Khabib, a work horse by nature, may well have began training too soon after his surgery. After his fight against Cerrone was rebooked disaster struck once more as Nurmagomedov reinjured his knee, forcing him out for a further year. To make matters worse, when Nurmagomedov knee finally healed he suffered a rib injury once again forcing him out of action.
While Nurmagomedov was on the sideline, the UFC lightweight division continued to move forward. Nurmagomedov was forced to endure the heartache of seeing the man he last defeated, Rafael dos Anjos, beat Anthony Pettis for the UFC title. In Nurmagomedov’s absence stars rose and champions fell and the Chechnyan was stuck on the outside looking in on a division that many felt he was primed to dominate.
When it comes to knee injuries there are very few fighters who return to top form upon recovery. It can be argued that Georges St. Pierre, who like Nurmagomedov, predominantly relied upon his grappling prowess, never got back to full form after his ACL tear. The road to recovery is over for Khabib, but the path to regaining his form remains uncertain, though there is one man that Nurmagomedov can look to as an inspiration.
UFC Bantamweight champion, Dominick Cruz has fought just twice since 2011 and he should be considered the perfect role model for Nurmagomedov. Like Khabib, Cruz tore his ACL and MCL on multiple occasions. Over the course of the last 5 years there has been numerous moments where MMA insiders expected Dominick Cruz to imminently announce his retirement, but he never did. In a sport awash with doubters, Cruz kept his head down and took his time with his recovery and when he did make it back to the cage against TJ Dillashaw, he looked absolutely phenomenal.
The obvious issue with comparing Khabib to Cruz is that Khabib favors a grappling heavy approach more so than Cruz, but in Cruz’s fight with Dillashaw, he showed a remarkable amount of lateral movement and also looked comfortable while changing levels and securing takedowns. Cruz proved that it is possible for a fighter to return to his pre-injury form and if Khabib can and he beats Tony Ferguson at UFC on FOX 19, it will be hard to deny him of a title shot.
Khabib Nurmagomedov proved in his pre-injury UFC career that he is among the elite of the elite and if he gets to rematch Rafael dos Anjos for the UFC title things will get interesting. Since their first fight, RDA has made great strides technically, but the magnitude of the beating that Nurmagomedov gave dos Anjos in their first fight makes Nurmagomedov hard to bet against.
Khabib Nurmagomedov faces Tony Ferguson in the main event of UFC on FOX 19, from Tampa, Florida on April, 16.