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.
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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.
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