"I rest my case" - Ex-UFC champs issue surprising prediction for hypothetical Alex Pereira vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov middleweight fight 

UFC vets preview hypothetical Alex Pereira (left) vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov (right) fight. [Images courtesy: Getty Images]
UFC vets preview hypothetical Alex Pereira (left) vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov (right) fight. [Images courtesy: Getty Images]

Former UFC champions Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo recently shared their preview of a hypothetical Alex Pereira vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov fight at middleweight.

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Nurmagomedov is undeniably among the most well-known names in MMA today and has cemented his legacy as one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time. The 155-pound legend retired from the sport with a perfect 29-0 record and beat high-profile opponents like Conor McGregor, Justin Gaethje, and Dustin Poirier over the course of his storied career.

On the other hand, Pereira is one of the biggest superstars in the UFC today and is widely hailed as an all-time great for his incredible accomplishments in combat sports. The Brazilian is a two-division UFC champion and a former two-division Glory kickboxing champion, being the first and only fighter ever to hold Glory titles in two weight classes simultaneously.

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In a recent episode of the Pound 4 Pound podcast, Cejudo and Usman previewed a hypothetical fight between the two combat sports legends. They picked Nurmagomedov to win despite him being considerably smaller than Pereira. Cejudo said:

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"I've seen what Khabib's able to do to light heavyweights and heavyweights in grappling. You put Alex Pereira and Khabib Nurmagomedov at 185 pounds, they both make that weight. Who wins, Kamaru? [Usman replied: Obviously, Khabib Nurmagomedov.] I rest my case."
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Henry Cejudo disputes Khabib Nurmagomedov's GOAT status in MMA

In the same episode, Henry Cejudo placed himself above Khabib Nurmagomedov on the MMA GOAT list and cited the Dagestani grappling legend's lack of activity in a higher division as his reason.

Speaking to Kamaru Usman, Cejudo shared his thoughts on Nurmagomedov never moving up to welterweight or middleweight and said:

“I agree with you, [Nurmagomedov] hasn’t done enough. He has not done enough. I’ve told this to Khabib. I don’t want to fight with the dude, but I remember we had a really heated conversation between us because I don’t put Khabib in front of me. I really don’t."
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He continued:

“If Khabib would have went up a couple of weight classes, with what he’s done, then yeah, you would have to [rank him highly], in the fashion that he’s done it. But if he could have done a little bit more, I truly do believe that Khabib would do some amazing things. I think he could, stylistically, win a title at 185 pounds, even being a ‘55er.” [41:11 minutes into the episode]

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Edited by Nishant Zende.
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