Grayson Tibau believes his former opponent Khabib Nurmagomedov is the greatest mixed martial artist of all time.
Nurmagomedov faced Tibau in his second year at the Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2012, when the Brazilian was arguably at his peak. The 24-year-old Eagle faced the toughest test of his life against Tibau, failing to land a single takedown in 13 attempts. Meanwhile, Tibau landed a takedown on Nurmagomedov and had a slight edge on his feet. However, the undefeated Dagestani prospect scored a controversial unanimous decision win that many believe should have gone the other way.
Tibau notched wins over Rafael dos Anjos, Francisco Trinaldo and Jeremy Stevens in a UFC career that spanned more than a decade. After suffering a setback against Nurmagomedov, he continued to win and lose, and gave up on promotion in 2018 due to a poor performance in four fights, including a knockout loss to Nurmagomedov’s training partner Islam Makhachev.
Tibau later signed with the Professional Fighters League and then moved to regional promotions. The 41-year-old, who has played in more than 50 professional fights, is still competing and is currently on a two-fight win streak, with his most recent winning streak dating back to September of this year.
Tibau is currently training with American Top Team in Florida alongside No. 1 ranked UFC lightweight, Arman Tsarukyan. Tsarukyan is expected to challenge Makhachev for the title next, putting the Dagestani’s grappling-heavy style to a tough test. However, Tibau insists that it is easier to wrestle the “Ahal Karakets” now than to wrestle the younger Nurmagomedov in his prime.
Home of Fight provided a translated version of Tibau’s comments from a recent interview with Russian media outlet Ushataika.
“For me, Khabib is the best of all time,” Tibau said.
🤔 🤼♂️ Grayson Tibau said it was harder to wrestle a young Khabib when Grayson was in his prime than it is to wrestle Arman Tsarukyan now.
“For me, Khabib is the best of all time.”
🎥Interview with Usha Taika. pic.twitter.com/duHAgY5vDM
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight)
October 25, 2024
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