Former UFC fighter Josh Thomson commented on the idea proposed by ex-lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov to eliminate round divisions in MMA.
“If you want to just say get rid of rounds, I say you just do one 10-minute round and the fight is decided. That’s it. Not 15 minutes, not 25 minutes. No breaks. But you even know it’s not feasible... because some guys need to build. Dustin Poirier being one.
We’ve been there and done that with no rounds. It doesn’t work. The fight slows down too much. Rounds give the fighters a rest so they can come back with more energy and fight hard again. It also helps judges figure out who won each portion.
Thomson's last fight was against Patricky Freire in February 2017 at Bellator 172, where he suffered a knockout in the second round. He has a career record of 22 wins, nine losses, and one no contest.
Khabib last fought in the octagon against Justin Gaethje in October 2020 at UFC 254, winning by technical submission in the second round. He announced his retirement after that match and boasts a perfect record of 29 wins with no losses.
