The Ultimate Fighting Championship heads to The Arena, Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates on September 5th, for a epic showdown between two UFC lightweight champions. The undefeated champion Khabib Nurmagomedov will take on the interim champion Dustin Poirier in the main event of UFC 242.
Khabib is one of the most dominant fighters in the world of mixed martial arts. He utilizes wrestling and a high pressure fighting style that makes it difficult for his opponents to break from his grasp.
When he fought trash talking champion Conor McGregor at UFC 229, Khabib submitted him with a neck crank in the forth round. The win also made Khabib a star because he dominated the UFC’s biggest cash cow in a massive Pay-Per-View.
The fight wasn’t over even after McGregor quit. Khabib took all of the pre-fight trash talk personal and made sure to go after McGregors corner after the fight. The Nevada Athletic commission suspended and fined Khabib for the post fight melee.
During Khabib’s hiatus, the UFC had the interim title up for grabs. At UFC 236, Dustin Poirier and Featherweight champion Max Holloway squared off for a chance to win the lightweight interim belt.
During the fight Holloway took a lot of damage and the normally dominant featherweight champion had difficulty hurting Poirier. The fight went the full five rounds and Poirier put on one of the best performances of his career and solidified himself as next in line to face Khabib.
UFC 242 Fight Card
Lightweight Championship – Khabib Nurmagomedov (Champ) vs. Dustin Poirier
Lightweight – Edson Barboza vs. Paul Felder
Lightweight – Islam Makhachev vs. Davi Ramos
Heavyweight – Curtis Blaydes vs. Shamil Abdurakhimov
Lightweight – Mairbek Taisumov vs. Carlos Diego Ferreira
The UFC 242: Khabib vs. Poirier Pay-Per-View starts at 2:00 pm ET / 11:00 am PT on Saturday, September 7, 2019.
The event can be viewed on various platforms including live stream ESPN+ PPV, and through UFC.TV. For more information on the event and upcoming UFC fights visit ufc.tv/events.
