A current PFL champion has dismissed claims that Ilia Topuria is the best lightweight in the UFC after his recent success.
Topuria has been on an impressive run in the UFC with three marquee finishes as the featherweight champion against legends Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway, while becoming the new lightweight titleholder in June with a stunning knockout of Charles Oliveira.
His recent Oliveira victory has shot him up in the pound-for-pound rankings as he has overtaken Islam Makhachev, who moves up to face the top welterweight, Jack Della Maddalena, as P4P number one.
A new challenger for his recently won lightweight crown is yet to be decided, but Paddy Pimblett and Arman Tsarukyan have been arguing over who deserves it most.
As Makhachev has made the move up to the 170 lb division, some have championed 'El Matador' as the best lightweight in the world after his successful capture of the vacant belt.
However, a fellow champion at 155 lbs in the Professional Fighters League (PFL), Usman Nurmagomedov, has hit back at the idea that Ilia is the world's best.
In a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Nurmagomedov did not place himself at the top of the tree just yet, but took issue with the résumé of the Spaniard.
He said: "I don't want to put myself (at top) in lightweight because Islam is still in lightweight. He's not moving. After he (moves), then we'll see.
"Come on, Ilia Topuria, how he can be lightweight number one in the world? He cannot be. He did only one fight. I have 19 fights in lightweight (division). I beat former champions. I beat champions."
The 27-year-old has been waiting for his UFC debut, as he did not want to find himself in a position where he would have to fight his training partner, Makhachev, in the same division.
While he believes his longtime friend and sparring partner is the best, the Eagles MMA fighter may have a claim to the best in the world title soon.
"I think my resume is better than him. How many fights does he have? 14? I have 14 finishes in my career," he said.
"After I finish this guy (Paul Hughes), I will call myself the best lightweight."
The anticipated rematch between Nurmagomedov and Paul Hughes is scheduled to take place on 3 October in Dubai.
This second fight follows their epic January encounter, where the two battled it out for the belt, with Hughes losing the fight by majority decision, which he believes was unfair.
But the score will finally be settled after nine months of waiting, and Usman has already fired some shots at his opponent.
Speaking to MMA Junkie, the Russian fighter dismissed his opponent's complaints.
He said: "Brother, it doesn't matter what he's going to say after losing. He's looking like Conor (McGregor). Khabib (Nurmagomedov) took his soul, and he keeps going to talk, but nobody cares.
"Everybody saw what happened. Same thing. Yes, he showed people he was so close to punch me, he was so close to win, but he didn't do anything for that. He saved his energy because he was scared to get tired. He wasn't going to wrestle, he wasn't going to come to the clinch."
He is yet to be beaten as a professional, with a record of 19-0. Still, the Irishman Hughes, after the performance at the beginning of the year, looks the biggest threat to his undefeated accomplishment.