Good thing trash talk isn't governed by the unified rules of mixed martial arts (MMA), because Khabib Nurmagomedov is kicking a guy while he's down.
Anthony Pettis, to be exact.
"Showtime" was whooped by Rafael dos Anjos at the UFC 185 pay-per-view (PPV) event last Saturday night in Dallas, Texas (video), and after five rounds of one-sided action, was forced to depart "The Lone Star State" without the 155-pound title.
And Nurmagomedov is now playing the I told you so card on the MMA Hour:
"When I fight with Rafael dos Anjos, I feel he's very strong guy. But when I say he smash Anthony Pettis, a lot of people say ‘Khabib says trash talk.' But I feel this. You remember after UFC 181, I told you I want fight with Anthony Pettis? And you say, ‘What plan you have for Anthony Pettis?' I told you, 'move forward, push him, take him down, take him down easy' ... I told you. Give him hard punch. Rafael dos Anjos make my plan with Anthony Pettis, and now I think a lot of people understand now, I am no trash talking. I say truth. He not bad fighter, but his wrestling and grappling are zero. I told you he's no true champion. I told you Rafael Dos Anjos can beat him, I can beat him, and a lot of fighters can beat him. But all the time Dana White said he's pound-for-pound king, one of the greatest. His coaches said he's Mayweather in MMA. I think is joke. Now everybody understands who is who. Rafael Dos Anjos, I am, and Cowboy, and Michael Johnson ... these guys top four in lightweight division. Now, Anthony Pettis can go to the prelims."
Hey, the prelims are better than PPV, according to this guy.
In fairness to Pettis, he's performed spectacularly since a 2011 defeat to Clay Guida, winning five straight prior to his Dos Anjos loss with four finishes. In fact, he's still ranked at the top of the lightweight charts (see them here) and could be back in a title fight with one or two big wins.
Either way, sooner or later he's going to cross paths with "The Eagle" (but not on the prelims).
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