Nurmagomedov stays undefeated with 3-round mauling of Barboza

Ring rust remains a foreign notion to Khabib Nurmagomedov.

In his first fight in 13 months, "The Eagle" remained undefeated in nine walks to the Octagon and 25 fights as a pro by brutalizing Edson Barboza for three rounds to take UFC 219's lightweight co-main event by lopsided decision.

The Dagestan native had seen an interim lightweight title bout opposite Tony Ferguson at UFC 209 fall through at the 11th hour due to weight-cut related issues, but preserved his cushy seat at the contenders table with the dominant showing, one he followed by reiterating his desire to finally meet the recently crowned Ferguson in the Octagon.

He had to eat a few kicks for his trouble, but Nurmagomedov gave chase from the opening bell, and once he got Barboza to the mat, he incessantly rained hellfire on his opponent's dome:

The American Kickboxing Academy fixture treated the Brazilian to an identical beating in the second round, and while the battered Barboza did his damnedest to remain in space and stuff Nurmagomedov's takedown attempts in the third, he soon found himself in survival mode once more, as Nurmagomedov ended the one-sided affair in the dominant position.

Barboza - ranked fourth heading into Saturday's contest - suffers his first defeat in over two years after picking up consecutive victories over Anthony Pettis, Gilbert Melendez, and Beneil Dariush.