Khabib Nurmagomedov has been flexing his Twitter game as of late.
In addition to being one of the fastest-rising talents in the ranks of the UFC lightweight division, the 26-year-old Dagestani has also proved to have chops on social media platforms as well. English may be a second language to the Russian grappler, but his work within Twitter's 140 character limit has been truly impressive.
We need to establish a UFC Twitter Champion lineage. It's clear that @TeamKhabib is the current champion.
— Jeremy Botter (@jeremybotter) March 31, 2015
"The Eagle" has used the online forum to take shots, make call-outs and troll fighters up and down the 155-pound ranks, and he kept things rolling in that regard with his upcoming opponent, Donald Cerrone. Nurmagomedov and "Cowboy" are set to collide at UFC 187 on May 23, with the winner figured to get the next shot at Rafael dos Anjos and the lightweight title. There is no love lost between the two fighters, and the AKA representative has used his Twitter account to consistently push the hard-charging striker's buttons.
The most recent turn in the beef between Nurmagomedov and Cerrone came after the Jackson/Winkeljohn-trained fighter celebrated his 32nd birthday. The perennial 155-pound contender received plenty of love on Twitter, and his up-and-coming dance partner apparently didn't want to miss out on the celebration.
Hey @Cowboycerrone now your old 32 year old. You're going to fight a young eagle who's going to eat you alive @lorenzofertitta @arielhelwani
— khabib nurmagomedov (@TeamKhabib) March 31, 2015
While Nurmagomedov's tweet for Cerrone's birthday was the most recent barb launched between the two, it was simply one in a collection of many. The rising lightweight star has been relentless with his attacks on Cerrone since the bout was announced, and the former WEC title challenger has admitted his opponent's trash-talking has gotten under his skin. Nevertheless, Cerrone is adamant he will take those frustrations out on Nurmagomedov during the UFC's annual Memorial Day weekend show and hand the talented Russian his first professional defeat.
On the other hand, Nurmagomedov is confident things will go his way once the cage door closes. He believes his grappling and pressure will be too much for Cerrone to handle, and he will bring the surging contender's seven-fight winning streak to an end in Las Vegas.
The best part of this entire ordeal is that there are several more weeks of build-up until the fight finally goes down, which should serve to generate plenty of heat and buzz before their eventual showdown at UFC 187.
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
