Islam Makhachev finished Charles Oliveira in the second round to become undisputed UFC lightweight champion at UFC 280.
Makhachev put on a superb performance to best the Brazilian, who was on an 11-fight winning streak going into the bout.
After some impressive striking, he took 'The Bronx' down to the mat and forced him to tap out - following in the footsteps of close friend, coach and UFC hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov in Abu Dhabi and bringing the belt back to Dagestan.
He submitted the man who holds the record for the most submissions in UFC history and then showed his class by passing the belt onto the shoulder of Khabib in a moving tribute to his late father, Abdulmanap.
"This thing’s so heavy, bro,” was the gem of a line from Makhachev after the belt was placed around his waist.
There was then a call-out to featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, who came into the Octagon as a mouthwatering pound-for-pound fight in Australia between the pair was teased.
Oliviera, meanwhile, asked for Dana White to give him a rematch after his stunning run came to an end.
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Makhachev is 23-1 in MMA, his only defeat in UFC coming in just his second fight in the promotion against Adriano Martins in UFC 192 in October 2015.
Topics: UFC, Charles Oliveira
Josh Lawless