Second-ranked lightweight Khabib Nurmagomedov extended his unbeaten streak to 24 fights on Saturday when he decimated sixth-ranked Michael Johnson at UFC 205, finishing “The Menace” by submission in the third round.
Johnson was extremely active to start the fight. He moved laterally, stepping in and out of the pocket. He landed shots and at one point hurt the Russian with a right hand. Nurmagomedov, arguably the best grappler in the sport today, took Johnson down and dominated him for the remainder of the round.
Johnson was able to fend off two takedown attempts to start the second frame, but was unable to stop the third. Nurmagomedov put Johnson on his back and immediately moved to side control. He put Johnson in the crucifix position and hammered away with left hands. Johnson absorbed a lot of damage through the first two rounds and referee “Big” John McCarthy told Johnson’s corner after the round that he wouldn’t allow him to take much more.
The third round started with a brief exchange before Nurmagomedov took Johnson down for the final time. He mounted Johnson and isolated an arm. The Russian quickly applied a kimura and forced Johnson to tap out before suffering an injury.
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