Khabib Nurmagomedov thwarted Conor McGregor's bid to regain the UFC lightweight crown Saturday with a dominant submission victory in a grudge match.

Nurmagomedov improved to 27-0 in his professional career -- 11-0 in UFC bouts -- with the win at a sold-out T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The UFC lightweight champion had McGregor on the ground less than a minute into the opening round and kept the Irish fighter -- a former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion -- on his back for much of the fight.

McGregor managed to stay on his feet for most of the third round, but the once feared striker couldn't hurt Nurmagomedov and in the fourth, the champion took him down again.