'I Couldn't Move' - UFC Veteran Describes Fighting Khabib Nurmagomedov

'He felt like a middleweight,' Michael Johnson talks fighting Khabib Nurmagomedov

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For many fight fans, Khabib Nurmagomedov is among the top three greatest MMA fighters ever.

'The Eagle' retired in 2020 with a 29-0 record, but his mythos lives on as his teammates continue to dominate MMA. Islam Makhachev reigns as the UFC lightweight king, Umar Nurmagomedov challenges for the bantamweight throne at UFC 311, and Usman Nurmagomedov defends his Bellator lightweight belt against Paul Hughes next year.

Nurmagomedov retired earlier than many had hoped, but he faced a murderer’s row of competition during his career, including Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier, Conor McGregor, Edson Barboza, Rafael dos Anjos, and Michael Johnson. The latter openly shared what it was like to face the Dagestani phenom during his rise to the top.

Michael Johnson on How It Felt To Fight Khabib Nurmagomedov

Johnson fought Nurmagomedov on the prelims of McGregor vs. Alvarez at UFC 205. Nurmagomedov mauled 'The Menace' for a third-round kimura submission. Speaking on Mike Perry's Overdogs podcast, Johnson explained how it felt to fight Nurmagomedov at UFC 205.

"I fought him on two weeks' notice, nobody even talks about that... " Johnson said. "[Nurmagomedov was telling me to give up] I was like f*** you! Hitting him with the backhand, I'm still in it, like I can't move, but I'm still in it! ... He's good, he's strong. He felt like a middleweight, I felt like I couldn't move."

Johnson's list of opponents from 2013 to 2017 was legendary, featuring Joe Lauzon, Gleison Tibau, Melvin Guillard, Edson Barboza, Beneil Dariush, Nate Diaz, Dustin Poirier, Khabib Nurmagomeodov, and Justin Gaethje.

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