Usman Nurmagomedov | Cooper Neill, Bellator

Usman Nurmagomedov is already Bellator’s best, and if his coach is to be believed, his ceiling is much, much higher.

Recently, Nurmagomedov said he’s targeting a move to the UFC in the future, to follow in the footsteps of cousin Khabib Nurmagomedov and current UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, two of his training partners. In an interview with Red Corner MMA, Usman’s coach Javier Mendez was asked if he sees the fighter surpassing Khabib and Makhachev’s accomplishments and he answered with glowing praise for the Bellator lightweight titleholder.

“As far as passing the torch, I see Usman as being pound-for-pound the greatest fighter, myself,” Mendez said. “He’s got all the attributes. He’s the most talented I’ve ever trained. In regards whether he ever goes to UFC or not, I don’t know if it’s going to matter as long as he keeps showing people how great he is. So, to me, if at one point he never goes, great. He’s still going to be regarded as one of the great ones. He will, you watch.

“He will be regarded as one of the great ones because what he does in that cage is like nobody, I’ve never seen anybody do the transitions, the movement that he does.”

Nurmagomedov is yet to be defeated in 18 pro bouts and has rarely been threatened in the cage, with his most recent win being a methodical unanimous decision nod over Alexander Shabliy this past September. He has successfully defended his Bellator championship twice (this does not include title fight win over Brent Primus that was overturned to a no-contest when Nurmagomedov later tested positive for a banned substance, which was attributed to a prescription drug).

In Mendez’s eyes, Nurmagomedov is nowhere near his prime and no matter where he ends up fighting for the rest of his career, he believes Dagestan native has the potential to be a legend.

“He’s unbelievable, and he’s only 26, he’s only getting better,” Mendez said. “Let’s see what happens, but you never know. He may be a PFL fighter, a Bellator fighter the rest of his career and, for me, I’m happy about that because he’ll be a successful one. So wherever he goes it’s going to be a success.”

TOP STORIES

Deal With It. Stipe Miocic couldn’t care less about any criticism of his fight with Jon Jones at UFC 309.

Mailbag. Did Brandon Moreno deserve a bonus at UFC Edmonton? Did Rose Namajunas make a tactical error? What’s the ceiling for Erin Blanchfield? Jed Meshew has got you covered.

Trilogy. Dustin Poirier and Max Holloway have both talked about it, is it time for one last dance?

Healing. Khalil Rountree Jr. is looking much better a month after his brutal loss to Alex Pereira.

WTF. Referee completely off the ball as fighter is rendered unconscious by a Von Flue choke.

VIDEO STEW

Angela Hill and Jessica Penne react to UFC Edmonton.

Good Guy/Bad Guy.

Epilogue.

Celebrate UFC Vegas 100 as the MMA Gods intended.

I guess you could get hyped for UFC 309, too, by watching Jon Jones bulldoze a dude. Whatever.

FLAVOR IN YOUR EAR

Severe MMA. Looking ahead to Irish star Ian Machado Garry’s pivotal matchup with Joaquin Buckley at UFC Tampa.

SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE

Poatan.

Getting feisty.

Menacing.

Now’s the time on Sprockets when we dance.

Calling his shot.

Yup, this is still happening.

Not to victim blame here, but you order something from a Diaz brother…

FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Nate Landwehr (18-5) vs. Doo Ho Choi (15-4-1); UFC 310, Dec. 7

FINAL THOUGHTS

If you’re reading this and you’re in the U.S., make sure you vote today!

If you find something you’d like to see in the Morning Report, hit up @AlexanderKlee or @JedKMeshew on Twitter and let us know about it. Also, follow MMAFighting on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and like us on Facebook.