K. Nurmagomedov and his eye-catching wig, which has already become a trademark. Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC
Considered one of the most talented categories in Ultimate, the lightweight division has a well-defined scenario for the coming months, with the champion Anthony Pettis involved in TUF 20 against his next challenger Gilbert Melendez, the tops Rafael dos Anjos e Ben henderson with a duel scheduled and third place in the ranking Josh thomson with commitment to Michael Johnson. The panorama of the up to 70 kg category has bothered Mike Constantino, Khabib Nurmagomedov, as the context excludes Russian from the spotlight.
“I was really rooting for Ben henderson (being Khabib's next opponent). He (Nurmagomedov) destroyed Rafael dos Anjos, then they offered it to Ben. Who's left for Khabib? He faces anyone. He made it very clear that he will face anyone they put in front of him. I'm waiting to see what they have planned for him. My phone will ring and you won't hear a 'no' from my end. He can face anyone”, guaranteed the businessman, in an interview with the “MMA Junkie” website.
Even stating that his agent “will face any opponent”, the definition does not necessarily include fighters who are in lower positions than the Russian in the rankings, as the agent demonstrated when asked about the chances of a fight between Khabib and the winner of Jim Miller x Donald Cerrone. “I would hate for that to happen. However, it is part of the nature of the sport. The reality is that these two fighters are ranked behind Khabib. That's why it made sense to pit Khabib against Ben henderson. Both are ranked higher. You never want to take a step back in the rankings because you put yourself in a difficult position. You always want to face the guy in front of you”, he analyzed.
At 25, Khabib Nurmagomedov has a perfect record of 22 wins. The Russian debuted in January 2012 and since then has won his six fights, against Kamal Shalorus, Gleison Tibau, Thiago tavares, Abel Trujillo, Pat Healy and Rafael dos Anjos. Without fighting since April, when he defeated Rafael at UFC on FOX 11, Nurmagomedv is currently fasting due to Ramadan, the month in which Muslims respect the act of contrition. Because of this, “The Eagle”, as he is known, hopes to fight again only in September.
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