Video | Khabib Nurmagomedov winces in pain after snagging broken toe against cage in win over Justin Gaethje

New footage has been uncovered that seems to show Khabib Nurmagomedov catching his broken toe in the cage at UFC 254.

In the immediate aftermath of Nurmagomedov’s big win over Justin Gaethje last Saturday night, Dana White revealed that “The Eagle” had actually suffered a broken foot of some description in the weeks leading up to the bout.

The following analysis from Dan Hardy seems to uncover a moment during the fight where Nurmagomedov winces in pain after catching his toe in the cage just before the finish—a second-round arm triangle choke.

Nurmagomedov later shared an x-ray of his foot injury on Instagram.

Nurmagomedov announced his retirement from mixed martial arts after the submission win over Gaethje, cementing his place as one of the all time greats in the sport with an unbeaten 29-0 record.

In his post-fight interview with UFC commentator Jon Anik, the undefeated Russian explained that he’d promised his mother his fight with Gaethje would be his last ever, citing the death of his father and mentor Abdulmanap as the reason.

“This was my last fight,” a visibly emotional Nurmagomedov said post-fight (h/t DAZN).

“I promised [my mother], it’s going to be my last fight,” Nurmagomedov added. “It was my last fight here. Tuesday, you guys have to put me No. 1 pound-for-pound because I deserve this.”

“Today’s my last fight in the UFC.”

Khabib Nurmagomedov hangs up his MMA gloves with a flawless, 29-0 overall record. It’s one of the best records in MMA history, if not the best outright. Highlights of his flawless record include triumphs over high-level talents in Gleison Tibau, Thiago Tavares, Abel Trujillo, Pat Healy, Rafael dos Anjos, Michael Johnson, Edson Barboza, Al Iaquinta, Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje.

Are you surprised Nurmagomedov was able to perform against Gaethje despite his broken foot?