Right after a successful title defense on Saturday night against Gilbert Melendez, reigning 155-pound king Anthony "Showtime" Pettis is already thinking about his next fight.
During the UFC 181 press conferences right after the main event bout between newly crowned welterweight champion Robbie Lawler and Johny Hendricks, lightweight standout Khabib Nurmagomedov immediately staked his claim at having a shot at Pettis' crown.
In a report by MMAJunkie.com, "The Eagle" crashed the said press conference to send a message to the champion.
According to the Russian Combat Sambo World champion, he should already be the number one contender, given that most of the other top lightweights on the list have already lost, while he has kept an unblemished 22-0 win-loss slate (15 wins by stoppage).
"I am No. 1 contender right now," Nurmagomedov said. "My doctor said I can fight in April or May. Let's go. Anytime, anywhere in April, May or June."
The report also adds that "The Eagle" is highly unmindful of his fellow fighters who also potentially in the mix for a title shot, singling out former title contender Nate Diaz, whom he belittled for having a 1-2 record as of late.
As expected, it was only a matter of time before Nurmagomedov's call outs got to the champion and his camp. Upon doing so, "Showtime" expressed his intent to oblige to his would-be challenger's statements, without batting an eyelash.
"If they want it next, give him a shot, I'm ready," Pettis responded in front of a group of media men. "I'm injury-free; I feel good. You guys saw what I did to Gilbert Melendez. Let's do it."
Without a doubt, Pettis put on yet another impressive performance against the tough and gritty former Strikeforce champion. While "El Niño" did craft a perfect gameplan by pushing the action towards the fence to allow little space for Pettis to throw kicks, this was eventually figured out by the champion, who landed the perfect shot to drop Melendez and slap in a guillotine choke afterwards.
Based on how the business runs, Nurmagomedov's undefeated slate may very well land him a shot at Pettis, but as of the moment, every fight fan would just have to wait and see.
