About that time Anthony Pettis shared a bus ride with rival Khabib Nurmagomedov

Anthony Pettis

It’s hard to imagine Khabib Nurmagomedov and Anthony Pettis are drinking buddies, much less on each other’s Christmas card list.

The two have sparred on social media – mostly at Nurmagomedov’s prompting – and in several interviews. Nurmagomedov even went so far as to call out the now-former champ after his title defense over Gilbert Melendez.

But one day, the two found themselves in close quarters. So they had a little chat, and to hear Nurmagomedov tell it, things were quite pleasant – just two injured guys talking comebacks.

Pettis, who hurt his elbow and was forced to cancel a fight with Myles Jury, got an update on Nurmagomedov, and vice versa.

“I sat down on a bus, and he came and sat down next to me – there was no room,” Nurmagomedov told MMAjunkie Radio. “He had to sit with me. I asked, ‘When are you coming back?’ He said, ‘Maybe in November or December. When are you coming back?’ I said, ‘I can come back in October and November, but if the UFC says I need to wait to December to fight Pettis, I’ll wait.’

“He said, ‘We’ll see what happens.’ It wasn’t bad.”

Not exactly a discussion into the nature of the universe and human dynamics, but a lot better than you might expect for two rivals. Nurmagomedov (22-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC), who’s undefeated as a professional and in the UFC, sees Pettis (18-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC) as the best bridge to a title shot. With champ Rafael dos Anjos already expected to meet Donald Cerrone at the end of the year, the ex-champ represents a highly ranked opponent that will give him the best argument for advancing.

Of course, Nurmagomedov already has a pretty good one in the fact that he’s already beaten dos Anjos (24-7 MMA, 13-5 UFC), whose title opportunity came as a direct result of another knee injury the Dagestani suffered while preparing for a title eliminator with Cerrone.

After this past weekend, it looked as though Nurmagomedov might take a detour to fight Nate Diaz, whose crew locked horns with his outside the cage at WSOF 22. Even Nurmagomedov’s longtime friend, WSOF matchmaker Ali Abdelaziz, said the UFC should book it.

But at least on the record, the undefeated Russian said Pettis is the best fight for his career.

With opportunities tough to come by and pitfalls everywhere, it’s probably best Nurmagomedov keeps his original plan. It just so happens that Pettis is cool with that, though what he really wants is a rematch with the guy who took his belt: dos Anjos.

Good thing they didn’t get into that topic.

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

MMAjunkie Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) live from Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. The show, available on SiriusXM channel 92, is hosted by “Gorgeous” George Garcia and producer Brian “Goze” Garcia. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.