Nearly 17 months have passed since UFC lightweight contender Khabib Nurmagomedov entered the octagon. Many have forgotten about his dominance during that absence, but Josh Thomson has a reminder.

Thomson (20-8 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) and Nurmagomedov (22-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC), who’s ranked No. 2 in the NOS Energy Drink MMA lightweight rankings, are teammates at American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) in San Jose, Calif. The fighters have spent countless hours together in the gym training all aspects of the sport.

“The Punk” owns greater insight on his fellow lightweight than perhaps any 155-pound fighter in the world. Nurmagomedov is charging toward UFC gold, and now that Thomson is part of Bellator and no longer with the UFC, he didn’t hesitate labeling the undefeated Dagestan-born fighter as a future champion.

“There’s no doubt about it (that he’s a future UFC champion),” Thomson told MMAjunkie. “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.”

Thomson is referencing UFC lightweight kingpin Rafael dos Anjos, who suffered a lopsided unanimous decision loss to Nurmagomedov at UFC on FOX 11 in April 2014. Although Nurmagomedov won the contest decisively, the two athletes went in vastly different directions after the matchup.

Nurmagomedov encountered a series of knee injuries that have prevented him from returning to the octagon since. Dos Anjos, on the other hand, went on a four-fight UFC winning streak that included a title-winning performance against Anthony Pettis at UFC 185 in March.

The 26-year-old is scheduled to return to competition before the end of the year. Nurmagomedov is scheduled to meet Tony Ferguson at The Ultimate Fighter 22 Finale on Dec. 11 in Las Vegas. The main card airs on FOX Sports 1 at The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas.

Ferguson, coincidentally, handed Thomson a unanimous decision loss at UFC Fight Night 71 in his final UFC bout before Thomson parted ways with the organization and signed with Bellator. After sharing 15 action-filled minutes in the cage with “El Cucuy,” Thomson said he’s confident in what Ferguson will bring to the table against Nurmagomedov.

If that turns out to be what he expects, Thomson said he doesn’t see Nurmagomedov facing much difficulty.

“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,” Thomson said. “If he’s healthy and 100 percent and ready to go, he’s a phenomenal wrestler, a phenomenal athlete and he’s very talented.”

Nurmagomedov has garnered plenty of hype since his UFC debut in January 2012. He’s dominated every bit of competition placed before him, winning six consecutive fights under the UFC without having a single round scored against him. Moreover, Nurmagomedov’s 22-fight MMA winning streak is longest among active UFC fighters and he’s hardly been tested during that stretch.

Thomson said Nurmagomedov’s success doesn’t surprise him because of the way in which he trains and approaches the sport. Thomson said the mental strength of Nurmagomedov can’t be compared to anyone he’s encountered, and because of that, he sees AKA getting another UFC belt in the near future.

“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,” Thomson said. “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. The wrestling is there, especially for MMA, and the conditioning is there. The mental toughness is definitely there.”

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