Nurmagomedov: Barbosa may be the best hitter in UFC

Brazilian MMA fighter Edson Barbosa has the best hitting technique among all lightweights, and, probably, among all the sportsmen of UFC. This opinion was expressed by his rival for the upcoming fight Habib Nurmagomedov whose words are quoted by the official website of the fighter.

Barbosa vs Nurmagomedov fight is scheduled for December 30 at the UFC 219 show in Las Vegas. The Russian had to fight American Tony Ferguson for the UFC lightweight interim title on March 5 at the UFC 209 tournament in Las Vegas. This title in the future could give the winner a chance to meet with the Irish fighter Conor MacGregor in the battle for the main belt of the organization in this weight category, but several hours before the official weigh-in, Nurmagomedov was hospitalized because of the accelerated procedure of weight losing.

"Barbosa is a very good fighter, he has a high percentage of protection from transfers to the ground, he moves well and, undoubtedly, he is the best "hitter"in our weight class, perhaps even the best, regardless of the weight category. I wanted to fight Ferguson more but he is waiting for McGregor who cannot decide whether he will fight with Nate Diaz or will retire. They are all not determined and they are all waiting, but I cannot wait any longer so I took this fight. Edson is the best option for me, since I'm on the second place in the UFC lightweight ranking, and he was on the third,"- said Nurmagomedov.

Also, the Russian shared his opinion about the way in which the fight will take place. "I'm a wrestler, he's a hitter. We are experts in our fields, and everything is predictable, I'm not going to flirt with him in the stance, and he will not get to wrestle me either. The fight starts in the stance, and I plan to transfer it to the ground, there's nothing to hide, "- added the 29-year-old fighter.