Josh Thomson on teammate Khabib Nurmagomedov: He reminds me of a 155-pound Frankie Edgar

No. 3-ranked Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight Khabib Nurmagomedov (22-0) is already preparing for his return to the Octagon in the Dagestan mountains, but as his tussle with the streaking Tony Ferguson (19-3) at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 22 Finale on Dec. 11, 2015 draws closer, "The Eagle" will move stateside to begin training camp with head coach Javier Mendez and the star-studded American Kickboxing Academy roster.

The soon-to-be 27-year-old raced out to a 6-0 UFC record before an ACL injury hobbled the Sambo master, taking him out of action for the past 17 months.

But when Nurmagomedov sets foot in the Octagon against "El Cucuy" inside "The Chelsea" at The Cosmopolitan, don't expect the title aspirations to subside or ring rust to show it's ugly mug, teammate Josh Thomson told MMAjunkie.

"There's no doubt about it (that he's a future UFC champion)," Thomson said. "The current UFC champion right now is someone he already beat, and he didn't just beat him, he destroyed him. He threw him around with ease. Outside of getting caught with something like a fluke punch or fluke kick or anything like that, I really don't see him being beat."

In six UFC appearances, Nurmagomedov has decimated competition. The ferocious grappler finished Kamal Shalorus and Thiago Tavares, before clobbering the cream of the crop.

Current 155-pound champion Rafael dos Anjos became Nurmagomedov's 22nd victim back at UFC on FOX 11 in Apr. 2014, losing in a lopsided effort that saw the latter achieve six takedowns.

When it comes down to it, Nurmagomedov will have the inside scoop on Ferguson as he was Thomson's last UFC opponent at UFC Fight Night 71 in July before the former Strikeforce lightweight champion bolted to rival mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion Bellator. "The Punk" lost to his fellow Californian via a malicious three-round beatdown.

The 31-year-old Ferguson is 10-1 in UFC and rides a six-fight win streak into his tussle with Nurmagomedov. He holds lopsided wins over not only Thomson, but MMA veteran Gleison Tibau and the heavy-handed Abel Trujillo as well.

However, because of his extensive background in combat sports and his sheer mental fortitude, Thomson can't see the freight train that is Nurmagomedov being stopped. He even believes his training partner is in some great company.

"What he has, what I think a lot of people misunderstand, is that his mental (strength) is definitely what gets him through a lot of stuff," said Thomson. "He understands his body can do everything that he wants it to do and can push harder than a lot of people's bodies can. He reminds me of a 155-pound Frankie Edgar. There's no quit in him"

For more on the TUF 22: 'Edgar vs. Mendes' fight card, click here.