Khabib Nurmagomedov

Born 20 September 1988, Nurmagomedov came up through wrestling, judo, and combat sambo in Russia, winning two world titles in the latter before entering the UFC. He took the lightweight championship in April 2018 and defended it until March 2021, holding it longer than anyone in the division's history. His October 2018 fight against Conor McGregor at UFC 229 drew 2.4 million pay-per-view buys - the promotion's highest ever - and ended with Nurmagomedov jumping the cage to attack McGregor's cornermen, triggering a mass brawl that cost him $500,000 and a nine-month ban from the Nevada State Athletic Commission. He retired undefeated in 2021, ranked #1 pound-for-pound, and was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in June 2022. He founded Eagles MMA and the Eagle Fighting Championship, coached until January 2023, then stepped away entirely - his career shadowed by ties to Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, oligarchs, calls for cultural censorship, and accusations of misogyny.