Anthony Pettis says Khabib Nurmagomedov can’t be considered the UFC lightweight GOAT.
"It’s hard to say Khabib because he didn’t fight everybody. He won the world title fighting Al Iaquinta. Al Iaquinta wasn’t even ranked at the time, so, you know.
"And then he fought some good guys after that and then he retired, so it’s hard to say he’s the GOAT.
In a recent clip to appear online of Helwani talking on his, ‘On the Nose’ show, Helwani described anybody that suggested Khabib was the GOAT as ‘out of their minds’.
He then went on to list Jones, Silva, St-Pierre and Cormier as just some of those that were better than him.
Helwani tears Khabib’s resume to shreds
For Helwani, much of the issue regards the comparative resumé of these fighters, and for him, Khabib certainly has one of the weakest despite his undefeated record.
However, this is not how some of the former UFC champions see it, among them, was former UFC “champ-champ” BJ Penn.
It can be recalled that Nurmagomedov had earlier appointed Penn as the fighter who is right behind him in the lightweight GOAT list, something “The Prodigy” quickly shut down.
According to Penn, Nurmagomedov is not worthy of the GOAT status even in the lightweight because he “walked away too early.”
Moreover, the 42-year-old emphasized that there’s no way Nurmagomedov is getting the recognition as he was never up for the challenge of beating champions in the higher divisions.
UFC president Dana White recently noted that former UFC Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov cannot be considered the Greatest of All Time. Now, one of the most sort-out officials in MMA history, John McCarthy has backed the claim from White.
Recently, Jon Jones took to Twitter to question Khabib Nurmagomedov’s legacy in the UFC. He wrote, “This is number one bulls**t. Unanimous decision over last minute replacement Al laquinta to become champion.”
“I’m talking to all you Khabib fans out there,” Jones said. “Fifteen world titles to your guy’s four. And you guys really talking about who’s the best fighter ever? You guys are joking, right? Fifteen to four, are you guys kidding me?”
“The only person who could possibly come back and challenge my record and what I’ve done in the UFC is possibly Georges St-Pierre,” Jones said. “He’d have to come back and win two championship fights to tie me. And I’m not even retired yet. I’m 33 years old. We’ve got a whole other chapter to go through. You guys are nuts. I love you guys so much. I hope you guys all have a great day.”