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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Dagestani lightweight contender Khabib Nurmagomedov may walk into the No. 1 contender spot in the UFC next month, and he's been pretty vocal about where he feels he stands into UFC 187.
It's not just talk, at least according to one teammate of his from the American Kickboxing Academy, UFC on Fox 15 headliner Luke Rockhold.
"Khabib is as good as he thinks he is," Rockhold said in an interview with MMAJunkie.com. "Have you heard the guy talk s***? He's pretty vocal these days about where he stands and what he believes is his. Khabib is what he thinks is he is. That's my quote.
"He's got a great tenacity no doubt. His control in the clinch, top position, submission defense – he's very talented when it comes to the grappling and wrestling aspect of it."
Penick's Analysis: Obviously that's a biased take from someone who has been working with him, but it's a really good endorsement at any rate. Nurmagomedov has to remind everyone how good he's looked in the UFC in the past, because his near year-long layoff has him out of the eye of the casual fan. If he demolishes Donald Cerrone at UFC 187 next month, that's sure to change, and having guys like Rockhold sing his praises lends more credibility to the idea that he's where he believes he is in the lightweight field.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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