Khabib reveals X-Ray of broken foot taken 16 days before facing Gaethje at UFC 254

Khabib Nurmagomedov absolutely dominated Justin Gaethje at UFC 254. The Russian excelled with his typical strategy of taking down the fighter near the cage and applying relenting pressure till the opponent is forced to surrender. On Saturday, Khabib forced Gaethje to submit to a triangle choke with just over 90 seconds left in Round 2.

While Khabib, unsurprisingly, was lauded for his dominant win, his UFC 254 victory becomes even more impressive considering the 32-year-old entered the bout with a broken foot. UFC President Dana White was the first to reveal fans were lucky to see Khabib inside the octagon as he injured his foot and was even in the hospital just over a fortnight before facing Gaethje.

Also Read | Khabib Nurmagomedov Reveals His Top Four Boxers, Wants To See Tyson Fury Vs Oleksandr Usyk

Dana White called Khabib Nurmagomedov “the baddest motherf***er on the planet” and he lauded the fighter for his 'tough' mentality. "And I'm hearing rumours of other things that I didn't know about that you guys will hear about when he comes out later," White said during the post-fight press conference. "Apparently, he was in the hospital. He broke his foot. Three weeks ago. He is one of the toughest human beings on the planet and he's the No1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world.”

Also Read | Dana White Reveals Khabib Nurmagomedov BROKE His Foot Three Weeks Before UFC 254

Khabib broken foot; Khabib X-ray photo shared to Instagram

On Tuesday, three days after extending his professional MMA record to 29-0, Khabib shared the picture of an X-ray of his injured foot, dated October 7. He shared another image of his severely swollen foot, which was dated the next day, October 8. While his injury did not end up hampering his first UFC fight in over a year, it surely meant Khabib did not enter UFC 254 at a 100%. It was, however, enough for the undisputed lightweight champ to score a win over Justin Gaethje.

Also Read | Khabib Nurmagomedov Celebrates UFC 254 Win By Feasting On His Favourite Burgers: Watch

Khabib vs Gaethje full fight

After his win over Gaethje at UFC 254, Khabib shocked the MMA community as he announced his retirement from the sport. The 32-year-old said he did not want to continue fighting without his late father and coach, Abdulmanap, who died earlier this year due to complications caused by coronavirus infection. Khabib also revealed the promise he made to his mother that his fight against Gaethje will be his last in UFC.

"There’s no way I’m going to be back without my father. When UFC called me about Justin (Gaethje), I spoke with my mother for three days. She doesn't know how I fight without father, but I promised it’s going to be my last fight, and if I give my word, I have to follow it," Khabib said after is third successful title defence, at UFC 254

Also Read | Khabib Nurmagomedov Hinted At UFC Retirement TWO WEEKS Before Facing Gaethje At UFC 254

(Image Credits: Khabib Instagram)