Under the guidance of Khabib Nurmagomedov, the MMA world has seen many stars. And interestingly, many of those fighters are currently among the best in the world. After the rise of Islam Makhachev and Umar Nurmagomedov, now Usman Nurmagomedov is the next fighter garnering attention in the MMA community.

Usman currently reigns as the PFL lightweight world champion. Along with that, he boasts an unblemished record of 20-0-0 (1 NC) in his professional career. And that’s something many believe is quite hard to achieve and would eventually put the Dagestani fighter among the best in the world. In regard to that, two of the former UFC champions even shared a similar opinion on Usman.

Henry Cejudo and Kamaru Usman on Usman Nurmagomedov

“I think Usman [Nurmagomedov] said he had two fights left, so this might be his last fight,” said Henry Cejudo on Pound 4 Pound podcast. “We might be seeing a free agent, and we might be saying, ‘Welcome to the UFC, Usman Nurmagomedov.’ He’s good, bro.”

After Cejudo teased the idea of Usman Nurmagomedov’s UFC inclusion, Kamaru Usman gave a bold take on the Dagestani fighter regarding the lightweight division. He said, “I put him at 155 pounds. I put him in the top five.” Now that’s sure an interesting opinion. But ‘Triple C’ tops that.

“Really? I put him in the top three with the current champion Ilia Topuria, Arman Tsarukyan, and Usman Nurmagomedov,” Cejudo noted. Considering the current UFC lightweight division, with Ilia Topuria reigning as the champion, Arman Tsarukyan is surely one of the top contenders in the division.

And that might spark discussions for a potential bout between Usman and Tsarukyan, but Kamaru believes the Dagestani’s matchup against another lightweight is very exciting. He said, “I tell you what, whenever Usman Nurmagomedov makes that jump, that transition over to the UFC, he’s got a plethora of fun and amazing fights to pick from. I mean, who wouldn’t want to see Usman Nurmagomedov versus Max Holloway?”

Many people from the UFC surely believe Usman has all the tools needed to compete against the top lightweights in the leading MMA promotion. And as it seems, even the Dagestani share a similar opinion. But to that extent that Usman even believes he is better than one of the UFC lightweight stars.

Usman Nurmagomedov argues Ilia Topuria’s No. 1 lightweight status

Ilia Topuria had a meteoric rise in the UFC. After clinching the featherweight title, he currently reigns as the UFC lightweight champion. And becoming the champion of the leading MMA promotion surely sparks the discussion about being the number one in the world. But Usman Nurmagomedov shares a different opinion.

“How can he be No.1 lightweight in the world?… I have 20 fights at lightweight. Beat former champions, I beat champions,” said Usman Nurmagomedov during an interview with MMA Fighting. “I think my resume is better than his… Ilia is only 15 or 14 or 13 [fights?]. How many fights does he have?… I have 14 finishes in my career. After I finish this guy, I’ll call myself, I am the best lightweight.”

As for Topuria, he only has two fights in the UFC lightweight division. And Usman is surely correct in that regard. But in terms of skillset, the opinions may be different. On that note, do you think how Usman fares against Topuria? Let us know in the comments below!