Chael Sonnen explains why the GOAT debate isn't between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Jon Jones
Khabib Nurmagomedov and Jon Jones have managed to consolidate their positions at the top of the food chain. MMA fans and pundits alike love to debate and argue about which of the two is the GOAT. Chael Sonnen recently offered his two cents on the same in a video on his YouTube channel.
The biggest argument that Khabib Nurmagomedov's naysayers put forth is the number of scalps hanging from Jon Jones' belt. However, this notion has left Sonnen bewildered. He said:
"He (Jon) went out there and did it dirty. So what do you do in that regard? Do you attempt to have the conversation and remove the veil, that yes, he did it dirty, but he wouldn't have had to. Even if he were clean it would've been enough... That argument's not going to hold up even if it's true!"
Chael Sonnen's reason for discrediting Jon Jones' claim to GOAT status is that competing in higher-weight classes is more convenient than in the lower classes. Sonnen justified his claim by recalling his personal experience of moving up weight divisions in the lower circuits of combat sports.
"My freshman year in high school I was a 115lbs, my senior year, I was a 185lbs. I know different weight classes and I'll just tell you, the whole reason why I was a 115lbs as a freshman and trying to get to 185, is I knew the secret; which is, the bigger they are, the more they suck!" exclaimed Sonnen.
The 44-year-old admitted that fighters from higher-weight classes are often considered to be more skilled. However, Sonnen argued that in the world of wrestling and combat sports as a whole, competition at lower weight classes is much tougher. According to the UFC veteran, the lower divisions are too thick for one to emerge as the undisputed best and stay dominant. Yet Khabib Nurmagomedov did it.
Also Read: "I can understand him not wanting to take that risk" - Dan Hooker on why Khabib Nurmagomedov turned down a Georges St-Pierre super-fight
Chael Sonnen touts Khabib Nurmagomedov as the most dominant fighter in history
Khabib Nurmagomedov etched his name into UFC lightweight folklore when he overcame Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 to improve his record to a perfect 29-0. What makes it even more impressive is that the Dagestani did it in a division that was brimming with talent.
"Look what Khabib has going. 155lbs, at the time he did it, was the hardest weight class; the absolute deepest weight class in the industry. It was also the deepest and most difficult weight class in the history of the industry. So if you're champion of that weight class, aren't you just automatically the greatest of all time?" said Sonnen.
Sonnen further explained that none of Khabib Nurmagomedov's lightweight contemporaries ever managed to win a position against him, let alone entire rounds or fights. The only person to win a round was Conor McGregor. However, 'The American Gangster' stated that despite all of these points, the argument still exists, and Khabib Nurmagomedov isn't regarded as the MMA GOAT.
Chael Sonnen explains why Khabib Nurmagomedov isn't considered the GOAT
Speaking about the landscape of modern MMA, Sonnen pointed out that today's greats move between weight classes. While acknowledging Khabib Nurmagomedov's brilliance, Sonnen raised a great point: fighting in more than one division is almost a prerequisite to being considered a GOAT today. Sonnen said:
"Khabib never changed weight classes. If this is 20 years ago and nobody was changing weight classes and they weren't even allowed, this doesn't come up. Wouldn't be fair game. When you live in an era of champ-champ and you've got the Cejudos or you've got the Daniels or you've got the St-Pierres that did it and did it successfully, it just creates a wrinkle."
Despite not leaving his division, Chael Sonnen said Khabib Nurmagomedov might be the greatest ever. He explained:
"While Khabib could've changed weights, whether it was 170 or 145, he would've been leaving the harder of the weights. He would've gone to 170 or 145 and as great as those guys are, the depth was not the same as where he stayed and ruled. I think that Khabib might be the greatest of all time, I think that he might be. I just think he's going to have a hard time winning the argument."
'The American Gangster' went on to name his GOAT and gave his reasons. Sonnen said:
"I stand on St-Pierre, that's my answer, but I got a good reason for it. Not only did he clean out his division and beat all the guys of yesterday and beat all the guys of his day, he beat the future generation. Then he came back and did it again at a different weight class without losing a round. Hard argument. St-Pierre did not have 10-8 rounds. He didn't have as many of them as Khabib. But he beat those guys within the rules. He didn't lose rounds, either. He didn't lose positions... He took no damage."
Finally stating that the debate will forever continue, Chael Sonnen said that he understands people have different views. However, Sonnen was adamant that the GOAT debate doesn't exist between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Jon Jones.
"The debate continues. I only submit for you [that] it's not between Khabib and Jon, and I'm not quite sure how we got there."
Also Read: Khabib Nurmagomedov reveals how he ranks amongst the GOATs of MMA
Watch Chael Sonnen's full video below: