Khabib Nurmagomedov puts his lightweight title on the line against interim champion Dustin Poirier at UFC 242 this weekend in Abu Dhabi.
Nurmagomedov remains one of the most feared men in mixed martial arts, laying to waste each of his 27 professional opponents en route to establishing himself as perhaps the best grappler in the business.
Conor McGregor joined that list of victims last October, forced to tap out in the fourth round before a post-fight war broke out in the octagon and outside of it on what went down as the most explosive night in UFC history.
Moments after the final bell, Nurmagomedov launched himself over the cage and into the crowd to brawl with members of McGregor’s team. Hefty fines and suspensions were issued - and McGregor hasn't returned since.
Nurmagomedov is back to hone his reputation as the best lightweight on the planet, fighting for the first time since that wild evening in Las Vegas.
Poirier is out to become the first man to stop the Dagestan fighter, earning his shot at the champion after his unanimous decision victory over Max Holloway at UFC 236 in April in their interim title clash.
Date, UK start time and venue
UFC is back in Abu Dhabi for the first time since 2014, taking place on Saturday 7 September at the du Arena.
That location is good news for UK viewers – with coverage of the main card beginning at 7pm BST.
Prelim coverage begins at 3:15pm.
TV channel and live stream
UFC 242 will be shown exclusively on BT Sport Box Office, priced at £19.95.
BT TV customers can use their remote control to buy UFC 242: Khabib v Poirier by pressing the ‘BT Player’ button then ‘Buy Now’ on the event. A Box Office is pass is also available for Sky and Virgin Media customers.
UFC 242 is also available watch online. Visit www.bt.com/sportboxoffice and follow instructions to subscribe and watch on the web or on the BT Sport Box Office App.
Betting odds | Provided by Betfair | Subject to change (UK and Ireland only)
Winner
- Khabib to win: 2/9
- Poirier to win: 3/1
- Draw: 45/1
Method of victory
- Khabib to win by KO/TKO: 11/2
- Khabib by points: 9/5
- Khabib by submission: 9/5
- Poirier by KO/TKO: 5/1
- Poirier by points: 11/1
- Poirier by submission: 20/1
Prediction
Khabib vs Poirier pits one of the sport’s best wrestlers against one of the lightweight division’s best strikers.
Poirier has perhaps the cleanest boxing ability at 155lbs – but as Khabib demonstrated against McGregor, he can throw too, dropping the Dubliner with a huge right hand that night in Vegas.
The champion has dominated everyone on the ground and has never really shown any sign of weakness in the octagon. Poirier is undoubtedly one of the best lightweights on the planet – but that might not be enough.
Undercard and prelims
Main Card
- Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Dustin Poirier
- Edson Barboza vs. Paul Felder
- Islam Makhachev vs. Davi Ramos
- Curtis Blaydes vs. Shamil Abdurakhimov
- Mairbek Taisumov vs. Carlos Diego Ferreira
Preliminary Card
- Zubaira Tukhugov vs. Lerone Murphy
- Ottman Azaitar vs. Teemu Packalén
- Liana Jojua vs. Sarah Moras
- Don Madge vs. Fares Ziam
Early Prelims
- Belal Muhammad vs. Takashi Sato
- Nordine Taleb vs. Muslim Salikhov
- Omari Akhmedov vs. Zak Cummings
- Joanne Calderwood vs. Andrea Lee
