Anthony Pettis isn’t sold on the idea that Khabib Nurmagomedov is the greatest of all time.
‘Showtime’, a former lightweight champion himself, isn’t impressed with the names on Nurmagomedov’s 29-fight resume, and recently cast shade on his claim to the ‘GOAT’ title:
“I moved down to ‘45, I fought at ‘70 – I fought all over the place,” Pettis told LowKick MMA. “It’s hard to say Khabib, because he didn’t fight everybody. He won the world title fighting Al Iaquinta.”
“Al Iaquinta wasn’t even ranked at the time, so, you know – and then he fought some good guys after that, and then he retired. So it’s hard to say he’s the GOAT,” Pettis added. “He’s definitely one of the best. But like, guys like B.J. Penn, you know – like that’s a guy for me that, you know, if he wouldn’t have came back and lost a couple of fights, we all would be talking about B.J. as the GOAT, you know, one of the first.”
The AllStar MMA roundup
- Opinion: How do MMA contracts work? An insider’s take
- Exclusive: Mark Hunt’s lacing up the boxing gloves once again: `I’ve still got the fire’
- UFC 277: Kai Kara France prepared for a blood and guts war with Brandon Moreno – “That’s the only way this fight’s gonna end up”
- UFC 277: Blood Diamond aims for a more patient approach against Orion Cosce
- UFC Vegas 59: Terrance McKinney to show huge growth in fight IQ, shot selection to finish Erick Gonzalez
The best of the rest
- Dana White on Leon Edwards, Dan Hardy’s criticism of Chimaev vs. Diaz: ‘Stick to fighting and stay out of promoting’ – MMAJunkie.com
- Amanda Nunes says Julianna Peña loss reignited passion for fighting: ‘I was without a challenge for so long’ – MMAJunkie.com
- ABC changes rules on eye poke timeouts, neoprene sleeves – MMAFighting.com
- Sean O’Malley on facing Petr Yan at UFC 280: ‘This is how superstars are created’– MMAFighting.com
- Dana White says Nate Diaz told him he’d never do ‘goofy’ boxing match with Jake Paul – MMAMania.com
The call
A heavyweight pairing between Don’Tale Mayes and promotional newcomer Hamdy Abdelwahab has seen some serious action over the past days, with punters jumping on to back the Dana White’s Contender Series alum.
Abdelwahab enters the promotion with a healthy amateur record and three straight TKO wins as a professional in MMA. The newcomer has also won both of his 2021 bare-knuckle MMA bouts.
I won’t tell you it’s a grand idea to take the underdog in this fight, but there is some definite value riding with the knockout artist Abdelwahab.
Lines presented by crypto sportsbook Cloudbet:
The soapbox
Ben Askren has a take on Nunes’ frame:
Derrick Lewis goes off on MMA media:
The Chael/Action Man saga continues:
Matt Frevola releases footage of an old altercation involving Kamaru Usman and Ali Abdelaziz:
Mohammad Mokaev wants on the Abu Dhabi card:
Jamahal Hill feels underappreciated:
The morning view
Mark Hunt goes off on Dana White:
AJ Fletcher breaks down his UFC 278 matchup with JHK:
UFC 277: Embedded drops:
The Weasle discusses the only top lightweight pairing that hasn’t yet been made:
Done deals
This week
- Hakeem Dawodu to fight Julian Erosa at UFC 279 on September 10th
- Youssef Zalal to fight Cristian Quiñonez at UFC San Diego on August 13th
- Jake Collier to fight Chris Barnett at UFC 279 on September 10th
- Ode’ Osbourne to fight Tyson Nam at UFC San Diego on August 13th
- Cub Swanson to fight Jonathan Martinez at UFC event on October 15th
- Brogan Walker to fight Juliana Miller at UFC Vegas 59 on August 6th
- Zac Pauga to fight Mohammed Usman at UFC Vegas 59 on August 6th
- Jamie Pickett to fight Denis Tiuliulin at UFC 279 on September 10th
On this day in MMA…
On the 28th of July, 2018, Dustin Poirier finished Eddie Alvarez with punches at UFC on Fox 30, earning ‘El Diamante’ a performance of the night bonus.
This bout would be Alvarez’ last inside the Octagon, as after this loss he’d migrate to ONE Championship, where he remains today.
