UFC CEO Dana White recently lauded Khabib Nurmagomedov but also confessed that Nurmagomedov has not done enough to be considered the GOAT.
In 2021, Nurmagomedov retired undefeated with a 29-0 record following the passing of his father and longtime coach, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov. Although Dana White tried to convince “The Eagle” to return for one final bout, his efforts ultimately failed, and in March 2021, the UFC lightweight championship was officially vacated.
Former UFC lightweight champion Nurmagomedov boasts wins over elite lightweights such as Dustin Poirier, Conor McGregor, and Justin Gaethje, among many others. Although many consider him part of the GOAT conversation based on his body of work, White believes the Dagestani fighter could have cemented himself as the greatest of all time had he “done what everybody knows he could have done.” The UFC head honcho told TMZ Sports:
“Obviously, Islam [Makhachev] has accomplished a lot more than Khabib because he fought longer. Who knows what Khabib would have accomplished if he had stayed in the game? And realistically, if Khabib had done what everybody knows he could have done, he definitely would be the GOAT.”
Check out Dana White’s comments about Khabib Nurmagomedov below:
In White’s view, a longer career with more records broken would have left the invincible Nurmagomedov’s legacy untouchable.
Dana White also added that the UFC Hall of Famer’s protege and close friend, two-division champion and P4P king Islam Makhachev, has accomplished much more than Nurmagomedov. He opined during the same interview with TMZ Sports that if Makhachev did not have that one loss on his MMA record, he would already be considered the GOAT.
“If he [Islam Makhachev] doesn’t have that one loss, we would probably consider him the GOAT right now.”
Check out Dana White’s comments below:
Khabib Nurmagomedov’s archrival belives “The Eagle” has “done nothing” in the UFC
Before UFC 329, Khabib Nurmagomedov’s archrival Conor McGregor claimed that the undefeated Russian phenom “did nothing” in the sport and has only defeated three notable opponents during his UFC career.
Regarding Nurmagomedov’s 29-0 record, “The Notorious” opined that “the first half of his [Khabib’s] career was on his father’s shows in the middle of nowhere,” often against inexperienced opponents or debutants.
“The guy has done nothing in the sports… I don’t rate him at all. No courage. The man has no courage. The man has succumbed to his pain, and it is a damn shame. I have nothing to say to him. Nothing to say about him. I don’t rate him. He never fought, missed weight, never fought above weight divisions… The first half of his work was fighting in his father’s shows in the middle of nowhere, wherever they’re from, right? He’s like 12 and 0. The opponent he’s fighting is 0 and 0… He has not done enough.”
Check out Conor McGregor’s comments about Khabib Nurmagomedov below:
