"If LeBron James could do that with Michael Jordan in his prime, he would probably want to go back in time to do that" - UFC welterweight contender thinks Khabib Nurmagomedov is the MMA G.O.A.T.
It's common for people to use Michael Jordan as a barometer on who is the greatest of all time in other sports. UFC welterweight contender Belal Muhammad recently compared Jordan to Khabib Nurmagomedov, who he thinks is the mixed martial arts G.O.A.T.
In an appearance on "Best Of With Bryan Callen," Muhammad had nothing but praise for Nurmagomedov. He's in awe of being coached by the former UFC Lightweight champion and believes that "The Eagle" is the sport's greatest ever.
"To me, he's the Michael Jordan of MMA. He's the G.O.A.T. to me and I'm like, 'I get to work with Michael Jordan in his prime.' It's not like he retired because he was getting beat up or he was injured. He retired for a reason," Muhammad said.
Muhammad also gave his opinion on the MJ and LeBron debate:
"If LeBron James could do that with Michael Jordan in his prime, he would probably want to go back in time to do that."
Nurmagomedov retired at 32 in 2020 when he was the best fighter in the world. He cited the promise he made to his mother that he would stop fighting without his late father Abdulmanap, who died earlier that year.
It's parallel to Jordan's first retirement at 30 in 1993. "His Airness" was at the height of his powers when he decided to retire and pursue a career in baseball. MJ's decision was influenced by the death of his father, James, who was murdered three months earlier.
Also read: "His new wife is the bomb" - John Salley praises Yvette Prieto for making MJ do normal stuff
Khabib Nurmagomedov wants to meet Michael Jordan
Khabib Nurmagomedov barely knows anything about the NBA, but he became a fan of MJ after watching "The Last Dance." Nurmagomedov appeared on the "Full Send Podcast" with Bob Menery and Kyle Forgeard earlier this year and revealed that he wants to meet "His Airness."
He explained that he watched "The Last Dance" as part of his research for his own documentary. He was enamored by MJ, who he called the greatest basketball player ever.
"With Michael Jordan, I just watch like a month ago I watch his documentary because I am working on my documentary and it was very interesting to watch. My friend advised me like, 'You have to watch this, you know?,'" Nurmagomedov said.
It’s like very impressive. Like before his documentary, I didn't know about him much. I just know Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player, that's it," Nurmagomedov continued.
Jordan retired for 18 months before returning to the NBA in 1995. He led the Chicago Bulls to another three-peat from 1996 to 1998. Despite announcing his retirement and focusing on coaching, there are fighters who are still lobbying for a fight against Nurmagomedov.
ALSO READ: Khabib Nurmagomedov says he wants to fight NBA legend, says he can take him down despite size disparity