MMA Refinery

Authors GuidedScribe and bookwormmedz discussing UFC 207 with our Mother and younger brother. 

"What motivates a man to confront the challenges that most of us would run from? Condemning him to solitude, exposing him to defeat and death? The Answer... is Love. A force so powerful that all reason becomes blind to it."

- Zobek Castlevania Lords of Shadow

The masses are forever in wonder of those that have the will to speak, the will to spread the flame of courage that is the spirit.

Whether a man be notorious in his words or righteous in his actions, his spirit will shine through and through.

A master has awakened in this timeless existence, masters who were few amongst the many that walked beside them.

He who holds the title of McGregor but the heart of champions and kings before him.

Listen once again oh many in the silence.

Listen to the silent boy who became a king of all that he is.

In that moment you will be witness to the awakening of a master. A master of combat, love, and appreciation.

May your flame of courage be sparked on that day.

Hear oh many, hear his announcement of spirit.

Author: GuidedScribe

Author: GuidedScribe

If I could describe Tony Ferguson in one word it would be essence, This individual is made from the essence of self-mastery, a ultimate goal of the human consciousness.

Not many throughout history have tread the path of mastery, especially not in this modern day. A select few gone and present have in fact displayed mastery of some aspect most notable none other than Georges St. Pierre himself, his martial discipline like no other from his great reign.

First and foremost I must be clear in saying I can find no comparison to the man this article is expressed to.

Zone: Tony Ferguson always remains in a state of ZONE, in and out of the competitive world of Mixed Martial Arts. It is his dedication to mastery that has cultivated an inconceivable great power within that knows no likeness.

Across the annals of history few have mastered this innate gift, but none applied in similarity.

There is much I could behold in revelation, but i will leave that honor to Mr. Ferguson to share his destiny the way he best expresses.

It is difficult to find beauty in chaos, I for one would beg to differ.

I end this article by imploring those who may read and are connected to the spirit of the martial ways to observe how this master lives his destiny. Only then might you have a glimpse of a great secret and be emblazoned yourselves to tread an exampled path in your own right.

Greetings to intellectuals, fight fans and everyone in between, it’s bookwormmedz here with the debut piece of my newly launched MMA content website, MMA Refinery. 

Without too much fuss, let’s delve deeper into the aforementioned topic, an oddly unique character in the highly animated theater that we know as the UFC. 

For as long as spectators can recall, Khabib “The Eagle” Nurmagomedov has been the figurehead and flagship representing Russia in the UFC, or, more specifically, his homeland of Dagestan in the Greater Caucasus region. 

Going into UFC 205, how much is he worth to the UFC? 

The obscurity of Khabib’s position on the card itself was the first compromise. Originally, “The Eagle” was set to fight current UFC Lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez. The bout was in shambles with Nurmagomedov having signed two bout agreements for UFC 205 and UFC 206 respectively but he received no correspondence. 

The solidarity of his title shot appeared validated by the backing of UFC President Dana White ensuring he would indeed be the next in line for the Lightweight strap. This notion crumbled in a matter of days: the headliner was announced as Eddie Alvarez vs Conor McGregor for the UFC Lightweight belt. 

“The Eagle” was robbed. 

Or was he? 

This is where the analysis and dissection of the matter gets interesting, although we can only just speculate as observers from the outside looking in.

Khabib has, to his credit, something that not many other fighters in the UFC possess. While an undefeated record is impressive, he is 23-0-0, an amassed clean record that is almost mythical and unheard of in nature in a division that is dubbed a “shark tank”. The feat itself is commendable and demands respect, but can seem lackluster when you realize that he hasn’t fought top caliber competition, nor has he been an active fighter by any means in recent history. 

Here’s a look at his track record in the UFC.

Besides Rafael dos Anjos, none of these men are in the current Top 10 let alone Top 15. Relevancy of your opponents is crucial in making a case for a title shot, building your stock and justifying your skills as a fighter and proving your legitimacy to fans. If you’re not media savvy or fantastical, you’re in for a rough ride. Regardless of these often hard-nosed conditions, his ranking plays out worlds differently. 

Rankings wise, if you insist on technicalities, he is #1 and there are no two ways about it.

I personally don’t believe his record or fight history carries him forward to fight for a title and indeed these thoughts were spawned and sparked by co-writer and MMA Refinery contributor, my brother, who brought up this subject which subsequently became a topical article. 

“The Eagle” in his most recent outing defeated Darrell Horcher, a promotional debutant and newcomer and somehow went up in rank which is not justifiable by any means. Despite this fact, with Conor McGregor running the game and Michael Bisping recently defeating Dan Henderson who was ranked #13, rankings were flung out the window at best. Ranks, as they are, mean less as less as the foundation of the fight game is uprooted by the brave and daring. 

So, if this guy hasn’t fought relevant opponents, what do you do? Give him a fight with a Top 10 opponent! Enter Michael Johnson, Khabib’s ticket to the title (maybe) if he can cash in and display his skills on this quintessential proving ground. 

This is a dire contrast to fellow contender and fight extraordinaire Tony Ferguson, whom Khabib was initially scheduled to fight but it fell through twice. During Khabib’s long hiatus, “El Cucuy” busied himself, fighting regularly and working his way up, racking the wins and eventually taking out a tough opponent in Edson Barboza. He is scheduled to fight former champion Rafael dos Anjos, and if he adds another win to the list, no doubt, he is next up for the shot, possibly after Khabib. 

With all this in mind, how marketable is the Russian superstar? Show casual fans Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Abel Trujillo and they’ll marvel at his monstrous, almost bear-like suplexes. 

If you’re puritan and you know your martial arts, you can be content with technique, dominance and finesse but the casual fans cannot appreciate that sort of dynamism. They require a more of a knockout beast or submission connoisseur dynamic. Since excitement and garnering even more of a fan-base fuels the game (and the UFC’s pockets), Khabib will need to make some adjustments so he can show the audience some new tricks. 

Marketability: I purport it’s fair game for now, but it can definitely propel him to greater heights (and title shots) if he can show his mettle by mauling top guys. His trash talk game is not bad, one of a kind really and it can help when you do it right. 

Now, it is undeniable that his influence in Russia is enormous. Watch this video if you have your doubts. 

If you know anything about Khabib’s social media influence, that #KhabibTime trend is rampant. 

Humor aside, a huge chunk of his loyal and borderline obsessive fan-base are from Russia and while you can argue that his influence is not as global as McGregor’s, this sort of power can’t be ignored. In a recent interview with Luke Thomas, Khabib threatened to close the door of Russia to the UFC and by golly he can, with a drop of a hat. He is also known to have powerful political connections and an angry man can be lax with his decisions. The UFC could lose a massive market in Russia if they continue to push “The Eagle” to the brink. Though his fan-base is mainly comprised of Russians, his fan-base outreaches to America, Europe and indeed stretches across the globe. With time, this will grow and only aid him further. 

Conclusion? Take out Michael Johnson at UFC 205 in convincing fashion and his stock goes up a little and so does that pretty looking undefeated record, pushed to 24-0-0. If he can consistently thrive, he can become one of the big boys, a star in the UFC.

A boring style? Would people want a champion like Khabib? He can only be denied so long.