As rumours about Khabib Nurmagomedov’s return to UFC continue to swirl, one Twitter user has decided to pay tribute to one of the Russian's most brutal finishes in his fight career.

Khabib has been out of action since retiring unbeaten following his win over Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 last year.

He is widely regarded as one of the best mixed martial artists of all time, and with a record of 29-0, it’s hard to argue against that.

Peak Khabib was almost unstoppable, and poor Thiago Tavares found that out the hard way back in 2013.

Khabib's Finish of Tavares

Not even a dose of the banned steroid Drostanolone (for which Tavares was subsequently suspended for taking) could help him overcome the Russian.

Going into their fight in January 2013, Tavares was already up against it as he faced a man with an undefeated 18-0 record in his home country of Brazil. Despite the home advantage, Tavares proved no match for Khabib as The Eagle soon made light work of his opponent.

A cagey, edgy beginning to the fight, which saw neither man take control, soon became one-way traffic.

A strong left hand from Khabib appeared to unsettle Tavares, which set the tone for the remainder of the fight. Shortly after, and with not even two minutes of the opening round through, Tavares was on the mat following another powerful left hand

Khabib smelt blood. From there, he was relentless in his pursuit of knocking out Tavares.

Once on top, Khabib pinned his opponent down and unleashed a series of devastating elbow shots to the face, which left the referee with no choice but to step in and end the fight. Although, he sure did take his time!

No fewer than 12 elbows and a couple of punches to the head of Tavares led to a ruthless first-round knockout and showed just why Khabib is considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in UFC history.

A nine-month drug ban for Tavares after the fight concluded only just compounded his misery on another night where Khabib Nurmagomedov reigned supreme.