Patricky Pitbull says fans of Usman Nurmagomedov have been verbally abusing him on social media

Bellator lightweight champion Patricky Pitbull has revealed that he's been receiving verbal abuse on social media from fans of his upcoming opponent Usman Nurmagomedov.

'Pitbull' is scheduled to make his first title defense against Nurmagomedov at Bellator 288 on November 18. The Brazilian won the vacant title in November last year after his brother, Patricio Pitbull, vacated the belt. The 36-year-old avenged a defeat to Peter Queally months prior by TKOing the Irish contender in the second round, winning his first piece of Bellator gold.

Usman Nurmagomedov is one of the fastest rising stars in Bellator. The 24-year-old is the cousin of former UFC champ Khabib Nurmagomedov and is so far undefeated in his MMA career (15-0).

In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA's James Lynch, Patricky Pitbull was asked if he's ever received this much abuse heading into a fight:

"I'm here to fight, I don't care about this. These guys like to talk to sh*t on my Instagram... They come everyday to insult my history, talk sh*t and insult me. So f**k everybody, I don't care about them. I will destroy Usman... Everyday I look to my Instagram, I get a lot of messages from Russians talking sh*t about me, I don't care. I train hard every day to beat my opponent."

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Catch the full exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA here:

Patricky Pitbull discusses style matchup with Usman Nurmagomedov

In the same interview with Sportskeeda MMA, Patricky Pitbull was asked how he believes his style will match up against his opponent Usman Nurmagomedov.

'Pitbull' is known for his kickboxing and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which has resulted in 16 of his 24 career wins coming via KO/TKO. The 36-year-old currently holds the record for the most knockout wins in Bellator's lightweight history (10) and has the most fights in the division's history (23).

Usman Nurmagomedov, like most Dagestani fighters, is an expert in sambo. He's also proficient in Muay Thai. Despite being relatively new to Bellator, Nurmagomedov has already built-up an impressive four-fight winstreak in the organization, including three finishes and a decision.

According to 'Pitbull', Nurmagomedov often prioritizes kicking his opponents, but insists he's trained for all scenarios:

"Usman is a little bit different. He likes to fight with legs, land some kicks and try some punching and fight with strikes. Sometimes he'll try to take you down but not too much. Let's see what he wants to do this fight. I'm prepared for everything, I'm ready for everything. Let's enjoy the fight and let's play. I like playing."