Khabib Nurmagomedov’s trash talk is getting better – but his math, well, it might need some work.
A video has been making the rounds this week in the buildup to UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi where former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira will face Islam Makhachev for the vacant 155-pound title. In the short clip, Nurmagomedov can be seen talking to Henry Cejudo about how he sees the matchup playing out – suggesting the Brazilian is subpar in terms of his grappling ability.
“This is what Islam’s gonna do with Charles Olivera: he gonna ride him like you ride your horse,” Nurmagomedov told Cejudo. “A lot of people underestimate Islam. They think Charles Oliveira have ground game – He don’t have ground game! If you tap eight times in UFC, how can you say you have ground game? You tap eight times!”
Turns out the lightweight GOAT’s jab was a little off. Oliveira, who has been bested eight times in total, only has three submission losses on his record and holds the record for most submission wins in UFC history. I guess when your record is squeaky clean, the need to keep count of losses is made redundant.
The AllStar MMA roundup
- UFC 282: Jiří Procházka requested Glover Teixeira rematch to improve on the ‘worst fight’ of his career
- UFC 280: How avoiding knee surgery turned AJ Dobson into an action fighter
- UFC 280: The chips are stacked in Islam Makhachev’s favor at UFC 280, says Alex Volkanovski’s coach
- Road to UFC: Balajin finally gets to show MMA fans what he’s made of at Road to UFC
The best of the rest
- UFC now prohibits fighters from betting on UFC fights in Code of Conduct change- MMAFighting.com
- Paul Felder replaces Joe Rogan on broadcast team for international card at UFC 280 – MMAFighting.com
- Dana White: ‘It makes sense’ Alexander Volkanovski will get lightweight title shot vs. UFC 280 main event winner – MMAJunkie.com
- Cain Velasquez appears in court as pre-trial date pushed back – MMAJunkie.com
- Leon Edwards will ‘100 percent’ demand new UFC contract ahead of Kamaru Usman rubber match – MMAMania.com
The soapbox
Bryce Mitchell and Ilia Topuria seem to have run into a roadblock:
Gilbert Burns wants his jacket:
You can cut the tension:
Charles Rosa with the catch of his life:
Paulo the ‘street grappler’:
The morning view
Chris Daukaus breaks down Islam Makhachev vs Charles Oliveira:
UFC 280 Embedded kicks off:
Dan Hardy breaks down the pseudo bantamweight tournament at UFC 280:
Done deals
Tuesday
- None to note
Monday
- None to note
On this day in MMA…
On the 18th of October, 2008, both Jim Miller and Dan Hardy made their UFC debuts at UFC 89 in Birmingham, England.
Miller, 11-1 at the time, defeated Frenchman David Baron (who’s coincidently beaten Hardy two years prior) with a rear naked choke in the third round, earning him a submission of the night bonus.
Hardy, with a record of 19-6, faced veteran Akihiro Gono. The bout lasted the entire 15-minute duration with two of the judges seeing the decision in Hardy’s favor.
Hardy would go on to challenge for the UFC welterweight title after another three straight wins in the promotion, before dropping the next four straight last fighting in 2012. Miller, who would never challenge for a title, still competes in the UFC today and is the proud holder of 24 wins inside the promotion, the most in history.
