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Twenty-eight competitors have tried to stop
Nurmagomedov, 32, and 28 have failed, including all 12 of his
UFC foes.
Nurmagomedov's recipe seems simple on paper: Anyone who can stop
his takedowns has a chance. But no one's been able to do that.
Steeped in the Russian grappling art of sambo, Nurmagomedov
mauls opponents like an angry mama bear defending her cubs,
scoring takedown after takedown and following up with a
relentless striking game.
Gaethje, though, is a different type of cat. With a granite chin
and a piranha-like ferocity on the attack, the 31-year-old
Gaethje is a buzzsaw striker.
Early on in his UFC run, he seemed content to simply put on
exciting fights, as he had two consensus Fight of the Year
efforts in his first three UFC bouts, but went 1-2 in that span.
Since then, he's shown a new maturity in his game, learning to
better pick his spots and displaying a gas tank which just
wasn't there in the past.
He's won four straight fights, and done so in a manner that has
fans wondering if he's the man to end Nurmagomedov's legendary
run.
The title unifier came about after Nurmagomedov had to pull out
of a scheduled UFC 249 date with Tony Ferguson at the start of
the COVID-19 pandemic, as he went home to Russia then couldn't
leave due to travel restrictions. Ferguson instead accepted a
bout with Gaethje for an interim belt, a fight the latter won
via unanimous decision.
Gaethje has been openly contemptuous of the "interim champion"
billing, shunning the belt and simply considering himself the
No. 1 contender.
--Field Level Media
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