Khabib Nurmagomedov dethrones Jon Jones to become UFC's No 1 pound-for-pound fighter

At UFC 254, Khabib Nurmagomedov delivered another dominant performance as he stopped Justin Gaethje in the second round via a triangle choke. However, during the post-fight octagon interview, The Eagle announced his retirement and made a major request to Dana White and team. Khabib Nurmagomedov, who has the highest win percentage in the UFC (alongside Kamaru Usman), rose through the ranks in the last eight years and was occupying the No. 2 spot in the Pond-For-Pound rankings before UFC 254.

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UFC Pound for Pound rankings: Promotion fulfils Khabib Nurmagomedov’s wish

At the octagon interview, the undefeated lightweight champion asked UFC to put him at the top of the P4P rankings as he had a desire to leave at the top. Later, Dana White hailed Khabib Nurmagomedov has “the GOAT” and on Tuesday fulfilled his wish. Khabib Nurmagomedov is now the No. 1 Pound-For-Pound fighter in the world, dethroning former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.

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UFC Pound for Pound rankings: Khabib’s reaction on becoming the #1 UFC fighter

After the updated rankings were announced, Khabib Nurmagomedov took to Instagram and expressed his enthusiasm. “It was the work of my life. I never got anything easy and nothing was given to me because I’m a nice guy,” wrote The Eagle. Nurmagomedov added that his belief in Allah, his father’s advice, hard work and patience were the premier elements behind his success.

“Hard work, hope for Allah and patience, this three-ingredient helps me to get successful, and of course, control and advice from my Father, who invested in me a lot of time and work,” Khabib Nurmagomedov added.

While Khabib Nurmagomedov topped the P4P rankings, his UFC 254 opponent Justin Gaethje slipped to the 10th spot, behind Dustin Poirier, Max Holloway and Petr Yan respectively. Khabib’s arch rival Conor McGregor, on the other hand, moved to the 11th spot. “Yes! Double 1 on the pound for pound list! Awesome,” wrote Conor McGregor while reacting to his ranking.

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Updated UFC Men’s Pound For Pound rankings

1. Khabib Nurmagomedov (Rank increased by 1)
2. Jon Jones (Rank decreased by 1)
3. Israel Adesanya
4. Stipe Miocic
5. Kamaru Usman
6. Alexander Volkanovski
7. Dustin Poirier (Rank increased by 1)
8. Max Holloway (Rank increased by 1)
9. Petr Yan (Rank increased by 1)
10. Justin Gaethje (Rank decreased by 3)
11. Conor McGregor
12. Robert Whittaker
13. Tony Ferguson
14. Deiveson Figueiredo
15. Francis Ngannou

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Image Source: Khabib Nurmagomedov Instagram