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The Takedown | UFC 257: Khabib Nurmagomedov is walking away because there is no one left to beat
- Nurmagomedov is leaving as the UFC lightweight division’s clear king, no matter who succeeds him
- ‘The Eagle’ cleared out one of the most stacked MMA divisions ever, and the next champion will have an asterisk next to his name
Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
The UFC’s lightweight division is a hot mess now.
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Dustin Poirier shocked the world over the weekend, dropping Conor McGregor in the second round of their main event in Abu Dhabi. McGregor, at times, looked brilliant, but was ultimately exposed as human in what has become the most interesting division in the mixed martial arts world.
Poirier’s win was one for the ages, given most had counted out “Diamond” long before the two fighters even made their way to the Middle East and into the Yas Island bubble.
UFC 257 was supposed to provide fans with some clarity. McGregor was supposed to remind the world he is still a contender, and Dan Hooker was supposed to show everyone that you can’t just walk into the UFC like Michael Chandler and beat a top ranked fighter in any division out of the blue.
Alas, neither of those things happened over the weekend on Fight Island, as we got storylines and narratives thrown in the blender. Where this division goes from here is anyone’s guess, but one thing is for certain – the lightweight belt may long be known as Nurmagomedov’s.
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