UFC 229: Anthony Pettis Takes Dig at Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Undefeated Record

Khabib Nurmagomedov has gone undefeated to date in pro-MMA, and has cruised through almost everyone he’s faced in the UFC to date. But is Anthony Pettis overly impressed with the new lightweight champ’s record? It doesn’t sound like it.

Since Nurmagomedov joined the UFC back in 2012, he’s won 10 straight fights in the Octagon to move his record to an awe-inspiring, 26-0. Other than a few speed bumps he hit in bouts with Michael Johnson or Gleison Tibau, “The Eagle” has been pretty, pretty dominant in his UFC run.

Pettis is booked to face Tony Ferguson this Saturday at UFC 229, which every combat sports fans knows, will feature Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor in the headliner. While speaking with the press on Tuesday, Pettis had this to say about the upcoming bout, and Khabib’s record (quotes via MMA Fighting):

“We’ve all seen his (Nurmagomedov) striking game,” Pettis said. “We saw him in his last fight against Al and how he performed. If he comes like that against Conor? I mean, that’s the wrong guy to do it against I’m sure he’s motivated, I’m sure Conor’s motivated. But I’m picking Conor.”

“Who’s he fought?” Pettis asked. “Who did Khabib win the belt against? He didn’t win the belt against the champion. We’re in a weird spot. He didn’t win the belt against a real champion. You look at the last 10 fights, there’s some good wins, some great wins. But he hasn’t fought the best in the division.”

Now, Pettis isn’t the only fighter who’s picking Conor to win, but, the consensus seems to be that Khabib’s wrestling and top game, will likely deliver him a victory. And what about “Showtime’s” comments regarding Khabib’s record?

Well, right off the top, Nurmagomedov boosters would likely point out that the Dagestan star has a win over Rafael dos Anjos, who in turn, ended the reign of Pettis back in 2014. The aforementioned Johnson has had plenty of setbacks during his UFC run, but he’s still a very dangerous opponent. It’s worth noting that Khabib defeated Johnson, after the latter KO’d Dustin Poirier. In addition, Nurmagomedov holds a a dominant win over Edson Barboza, who also defeated Pettis.

But, if you’re Pettis, or a supporter of the Roufusport fighter, you’re considering that he’s faced the likes of Gilbert Melendez, Poirier, Benson Henderson, Donald Cerrone, Max Holloway, and Eddie Alvarez, in addition to dos Anjos and Barboza. There’s a lot of former champs in that list, or perennial contenders.

UFC 229 will be hosted by the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.