UFC 242 recap: how Khabib beat Poirier on Yas Island in 2019
Seven years before UFC 333, Khabib Nurmagomedov unified the lightweight title with a third-round rear-naked choke in Abu Dhabi.
Long before UFC 333, one of the biggest nights in Abu Dhabi's fight history took place on Yas Island on 7 September 2019. At UFC 242, Khabib Nurmagomedov defended his lightweight title against interim champion Dustin Poirier and won by rear-naked choke in the third round.
Poirier had earned the interim belt in April 2019 by beating Max Holloway, while Nurmagomedov was serving a suspension after jumping into the crowd following his win over Conor McGregor in 2018. That made Abu Dhabi the place where the division was unified.
According to Al Jazeera, Nurmagomedov controlled most of the first two rounds on the ground. Poirier had his best moment early in the third, when he locked in a guillotine choke, but Nurmagomedov escaped, took his back and finished the fight midway through the round.
The win took Nurmagomedov to 28-0, while Poirier fell to 25-6. "MMA is about respect, this is what we showed tonight," Nurmagomedov said afterwards. Poirier admitted: "I feel like I let myself down."
Abu Dhabi has stayed central to the UFC since then, and the 2026 card again features fighters from Nurmagomedov's region, with Movsar Evloev challenging Alexander Volkanovski. UFC 333 takes place at Etihad Arena on Saturday 24 October.
UFC 333: Volkanovski vs EvloevSat 24 Oct · Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi See ticketsSource: Al Jazeera
