Usman Nurmagomedov suggests he would choke UFC champion Ilia Topuria unconscious

Usman Nurmagomedov has suggested that the best UFC fighters would fare no better than his opponents in the PFL, where the lightweight champion put Alfie Davis to sleep on Saturday.

Nurmagomedov, with his cousin Khabib in his corner, choked Davis unconscious in Dubai to retain his title, beating the Briton in the third round.

And as the unbeaten Russian, 27, built on back-to-back points wins over Paul Hughes, questions arose as to how he would fare in the UFC.

While speaking at his post-fight press conference, Nurmagomedov addressed potential match-ups with UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria and No 1-ranked Arman Tsarukyan.

“Firstly, the preparation for them would be completely different,” he said. “They’re fighters of a different level in terms of skill.

“For example, Arman both wrestles and strikes, so the preparation would have been entirely different.

“But the result would have been the same,” Nurmagomedov declared, before adding: “Unlike Arman, I don’t have a loss.”

Nurmagomedov’s victory over Davis, 33, came via an arm triangle choke and enhanced the Russian’s status as one of the best lightweights in MMA.

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It is natural, therefore, that debates have arisen as to whether Nurmagomedov would win gold at 155lb in the UFC, as his cousin Khabib and teammate Islam Makhachev did.

The unbeaten Topuria holds the title at the moment, having won the vacant belt last June after it was relinquished by Makhachev, who moved up to welterweight to win a second strap. Topuria, 29, knocked out former champion Charles Oliveira in the first round to collect the title, having vacated the featherweight belt earlier in the year.

And although Tsarukyan holds the UFC’s No 1 ranking at 155lb, he does not appear to be next for Topuria; January brought an interim-title win for Justin Gaethje, who outpointed Paddy Pimblett.

Gaethje’s lopsided win over “Paddy The Baddy” denies fans a grudge match between the latter and Topuria, for now at least, with Gaethje likely to challenge “El Matador” later this year.

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Meanwhile, Nurmagomedov’s next fight is unclear, as is Davis’s.

The Briton, reflecting on his loss to Nurmagomedov, told Red Corner MMA: “I heard my corner say, ‘30 seconds left,’ and I was like, ‘Oh, I’ll just chill here [on the mat] and wait, he’s not going to get this.

“The next thing I know, I’m waking up. He had a monster squeeze on him. I woke up with Khabib in my face, and I was like... it was weird. If you’ve ever been choked out, it’s like a sort of weird, buzzy feeling. I woke up and I was like, ‘Where am I?’ I was like, ‘Oh, there I am.’

“[Usman] was very respectful to be fair, all very respectful. I think Islam Makhachev gave the best comment: he like laughed at me and said, ‘Hey, brother, now it’s 1-1.’” Makhachev’s words were an apparent reference to Davis’s KO win over Gadzhi Rabadanov, who is a teammate of Makhachev and Nurmagomedov.