5 times Khabib Nurmagomedov showed impressive striking skills inside the octagon

#4. Khabib Nurmaogomedov vs Darrel Horcher - UFC on Fox 19

Khabib Nurmagomedov ahead of his fight against Darrel Horcher | Image via Twitter @danawhite

Khabib Nurmagomedov TKO'd Darrel Horcher in 2016 in round two of their fight. 'The Eagle' displayed impressive boxing fundamentals, maintaining a safe distance from Horcher, staying light on his feet, and completely moving out of the way when pressed. He outstruck Horcher massively, landing 107 strikes with 77% accuracy.

The fight started with Khabib Nurmagomedov trying to stay away from Horcher, sizing him up and feinting with his shots. As he got a little more warmed up, Khabib started kicking and slipping inside with combinations. Making his opponent cautious of the strikes, Khabib set him up for a well-timed takedown, both in rounds one and two.

VIDEO: Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Darrell Horcher full fight video highlights https://t.co/NBKyaIfskQ pic.twitter.com/fGTFOndgcs

— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) April 18, 2016

It was the takedowns that eventually caused Darrel Horcher's defeat. Even with a top position, Khabib Nurmagomedov chose to strike. He landed several blows on 'The Saint' and forced referee Herb Dean to stop the fight.

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#3. Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Al Iaquinta - UFC 223

UFC 223: Nurmagomedov v Iaquinta

Khabib Nurmagomedov and Al Iaquinta went to war at UFC 223 for the vacant UFC lightweight title. The five-round fight was action-packed, with Khabib dominating 'Raging Al' for the majority of the bout. While 'The Eagle' had six successful takedowns that helped him outstrike Iaquinta 172-43, there were several moments where the Russian displayed his striking prowess.

Khabib was in active pursuit of taking down Iaquinta for most of the fight. However, with Iaquinta scrambling off Khabib, 'The Eagle' was forced to mix it up and strike. In round three, Khabib Nurmagomedov displayed an excellent striking game with repeated jabs and one-two combos landing on Al Iaquinta's bleeding face.

While Khabib Nurmegomedov was getting clipped by Al Iaquinta every now and then, he kept pressing. The last three rounds of the bout saw Khabib exchange punches and kicks with Iaquinta, with the latter stuffing the Dagestani wrestler's takedowns.

Khabib gets the takedown, but Iaquinta gets back to his feet! #UFC223 pic.twitter.com/6GVULPzrcI

— UFC (@ufc) April 8, 2018

With his grappling failing him in the later rounds of a fight that could have gone either way, Khabib dominated Iaquinta. He proved that he deserved to be the UFC lightweight champion, and he has his striking to thank for it.