Last month, when the UFC visited Brooklyn, it made sure to set up a date for Khabib Nurmagomedov to visit Brighton Beach. Given the slush and cold and the assortment of papakha hats and tracksuits, it might as well have been Rostov-on-Don. His Russian faithful showed up to a little theater and enthusiastically asked questions of the Dagestani fighter — mostly about Conor McGregor, but a few regarding Tony Ferguson — which he answered in grumpy monotone.
And for a brief moment, it all became clear: So this is what the fight world would be like if Nurmagomedov were to take it over.