Gleison
Tibau believes former foe Khabib
Nurmagomedov is the greatest MMA fighter of all time.

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Nurmagomedov faced Tibau in his sophomore
Ultimate Fighting Championship outing back in 2012 while the
Brazilian was arguably in his prime. A 24-year-old “Eagle” faced
one of the toughest tests of his life against Tibau, failing to
land a single takedown in 13 attempts. Meanwhile, Tibau landed a
takedown on Nurmagomedov and also slightly outstruck him on the
feet. However, the undefeated Dagestani prospect went on to earn a
controversial unanimous decision win, which many believe should
have gone the other way.

Tibau recorded wins over the likes of Rafael dos
Anjos, Francisco
Trinaldo and Jeremy
Stephens over the course of a UFC career that spanned more than
a decade. He alternated between wins and losses after his setback
against Nurmagomedov and parted ways with the promotion in 2018 on
the back of a four-fight slump — which included a KO loss against
Nurmagomedov training partner Islam
Makhachev.

Tibau later signed with
Professional Fighters League and has since moved on to regional
promotions. The 41-year-old with over 50 pro outings to his name
continues to compete even today and is currently on a two-fight
winning streak, the most recent one dating back to this past
September.

Tibau currently trains with No. 1 ranked UFC lightweight contender
Arman
Tsarukyan at
American Top Team in Florida. Tsarukyan is expected to
challenge Makhachev for the title next and poses a tough test to
the Dagestani’s grappling-heavy style. However, Tibau claims its
easier for him to wrestle “Ahalkalakets” now than it was to grapple
a young Nurmagomedov when he was in his prime.

Home of Fight provided a translated version of Tibau’s comments
from a recent interview with Russian outlet Ushatayka.

„For me Khabib – is the best of all time,” Tibau said.

IMAK ADMIN

By IMAK ADMIN

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