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

Nurmagomedov faced Tibau in his second match with the Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2012, when the Brazilian was arguably in his prime. The 24-year-old “Eagle” faced one of the toughest tests of his life against Tibau and failed to land a single takedown in 13 attempts. Meanwhile, Tibau landed a takedown on Nurmagomedov and also lightly hit him on the feet. However, the undefeated Dagestani candidate won a controversial unanimous decision victory that many believe should have gone the other way.

Tibau recorded victories over the likes of Rafael dos Anjos, Francisco Trinaldo and Jeremy Stephens throughout his decade-plus UFC career. After his setback against Nurmagomedov, he oscillated between wins and losses and parted ways with the promotion in 2018 after losing in four fights – which included a knockout loss to Nurmagomedov's training partner Islam Makhachev.

Tibau later signed with the Professional Fighters League and has since moved on to regional promotions. The 41-year-old continues to compete in over 50 professional appearances and is currently on a two-fight winning streak, the last of which dates back to last September.

Tibau is currently training with No. 1 UFC lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan at American Top Team in Florida. Tsarukyan is expected to challenge Makhachev for the title next, putting the Dagestani's grappling-heavy style to the test. However, Tibau claims that it is easier for him to wrestle against “Ahalkalakets” now than it was against 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 magazine Ushatayka.

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

🤔 🤼‍♂️ Gleison Tibau says wrestling the young Khabib when Gleison was in his prime was harder than wrestling Arman Tsarukyan now.

“For me, Khabib is the best thing ever.”

🎥 Interview with Ushatayka. pic.twitter.com/duHAgY5vDM

– Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight)
October 25, 2024