Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Request to Face Pettis-Melendez Winner Is No Sure Thing

By Rick LaFitte @RickLaFitte on November 2, 2014

 

There’s no denying that Khabib Nurmagomedov has proven to be one of the top lightweights in the UFC during his impressive 6-0 run, but his talk of wanting a title fight upon his return from injury may be overly optimistic. “The Eagle”, who is on the mend from a knee injury that scuttled a potential title eliminator at UFC 178 against Donald Cerrone, has expressed his desire to face the winner of the Dec. 6 championship bout at UFC 181 between Anthony Pettis and Gilbert Melendez.

Nurmagomedov is noted for his tremendous wrestling ability and is a multiple Combat Sambo world champion who has been critical of Pettis for his inactivity. “Showtime” won the belt back at UFC 164 by submitting Benson Henderson but has yet to defend the 155-pound strap. He incurred a knee injury that scuttled a December 2013 defense against Josh Thomson and then had his return further delayed because of TUF 20 coaching duties opposite “El Nino”. Pettis’ absence has created a logjam of contenders in the talent-rich division, with a number of hungry competitors stating a case for a title fight.

The No. 2-ranked Nurmagomedov can make as good a case as anyone, thanks to his undefeated 22-0 career record. He holds notable wins over Abel Trujillo and Pat Healy and is coming off his biggest Octagon triumph against No. 3-ranked Rafael dos Anjos in Nurmagomedov’s last appearance in April at UFC on FOX 11. It was a dominant unanimous decision victory, but unfortunately the momentum from that win has been derailed by his absence. There are others who have stayed active and seemingly could be just as likely to get the next title opportunity.

Dos Anjos would eventually rejuvenate his stock and title hopes by recording a pair of wins including a first-round knockout of Henderson in their Fight Night 49 main event. He gets another key test in December in welcoming Nate Diaz back to the Octagon at UFC on FOX 13. An impressive win over the Stockton native could catapult dos Anjos to the front of the line to face the Pettis-Melendez winner. He’s won seven of his last eight fights and also owns a win over the No. 4-ranked Cerrone.

Another strong option that the promotion will likely consider will be based upon what transpires in the co-main event of UFC 182 when Cerrone and Myles Jury do battle. Cerrone has had a tremendously impressive year, winning four fights and producing three finishes against high-quality competition. His most recent effort was a unanimous decision win at UFC 178 over former Bellator champion Eddie Alvarez. He’s won five straight contests since his loss to dos Anjos and another win over Jury could finally land him his first UFC title opportunity.

Jury is getting the biggest test of his career against “Cowboy” on Jan. 3 and if he is able to make it seven straight Octagon triumphs, it could be the 25-year old Alliance MMA product getting the call to face either Pettis or Melendez. Jury has started his career with 15 consecutive wins and is currently holding down the No. 8 ranking. He made a major statement in Japan at Fight Night 52 when he became the first man to stop Takanori Gomi via strikes.

The landscape in the lightweight division is an interesting one these days. This past year has seen several solid contenders battle it out for bragging rights to a championship fight. The belt hasn’t been defended a single time, but that’ll finally change at UFC 181. There’s no doubt that Nurmagomedov is in the title equation, but there are a number of other contenders in the hunt to go for gold.

Rick LaFitte is an MMA writer for RantSports.