How to beat a GOAT: Jon Jones and Khabib Nurmagomedov

Throughout UFC history, very few fighters have managed to build legacies worthy of being revered in the halls of all-time greats. Some reach impressive heights, like Rafael dos Anjos dethroning Anthony Pettis to capture the lightweight title. But his body of work will never compare to the likes of Khabib Nurmagomedov.

'The Eagle' has ethroned himself as arguably the greatest 155-pounder of all time, with only B.J. Penn's legendary run challenging his standing. Still, the Dagestani never tasted defeat inside the octagon. To many fans, he is unbeatable. Similarly, Jon Jones' only loss was due to him being disqualified over his use of 12-6 elbows.

The reigning heavyweight kingpin has an air invincibility that is almost unmatched. These two men are fighters in a class of their own. So how exactly does one go about beating them. What would it take to beat a GOAT?

The case for beating GOAT contender #1: Jon Jones

Jon Jones is a different fighter today than he was when he first drew the attention of MMA fans around the world. In the past, Jon Jones was far more dynamic, complete with spinning elbows, flying knees and explosive suplexes. Now, he is a pot-shot striker who marches forward, dictating every rule of engagement.

While Jon Jones still has his wrestling in his backpocket, he no longer wrestles as frequently as he used to. Regardless, many of the tools needed to beat him are still the same, and they rely more on a fighter being long and tall enough to fight him, as opposed to having a specific skill-set.

First, the strength of Jon Jones' wrestling must be examined. The former UFC light heavyweight champion is widely regarded as the GOAT of the division, and it's understandable. He defeated countless champions during his run, including future UFC double champion and former Olympic wrestler Daniel Cormier.

Not only did Jon Jones beat Daniel Cormier, he outwrestled him in their first encounter. But how? The secret to it is the length of his arms, which are 84.5 inches long. For the sake of comparison, his arms are as long as Stefan Struve's, a former UFC heavyweight who stood seven feet tall.

So, when Jon Jones drops down for a double-leg, his arms are long enough that he can still lock his hands together behind his opponent's legs, even if they widen their base. This is why he was able to take 'DC' down, but struggled to outwrestle foes like Alexander Gustafsson and Dominick Reyes.

The latter two men matched Jon Jones in height, so when they widened their base, he couldn't lock his hands behind their legs as easily. His wrestling success against Gustafsson in their rematch occurred only after Jones injured his foe's groin with an illegal knee, compromising his ability to defend takedowns.

#OnThisDay in 2013: One of the greatest light heavyweight fights of all time between @AlexTheMauler and @JonnyBones!

📺 Watch more on @UFCFightPass now! https://t.co/mJD4wB3qZi

Jon Jones' length is also why more credentialed wrestlers couldn't take him down, but he somehow conceded his first takedown against Gustafsson, of all people. When Jon Jones widens his base, his legs are often spread too far for almost anyone to lock their hands behind them.

Secondly, much of Jon Jones' striking depends on being the bigger man. His oblique kicks and push kicks to the lead knee are distance management tools to keep fighters on the outside, where he can hit them, but they're too far away to return fire.

Furthermore, once an opponent does close the distance, his go-to defense is to extend his lead arm to post, while bringing his rear hand up in front of his face as he leans back, shuffling and retreating in a straight line. This works against shorter fighters who can't reach him.

But this backfired tremendously against Gustafsson and Reyes. To beat Jones, a fighter must be his height to effectively counter his wrestling, while being long enough to land punches when he tries to post-and-retreat. Additionally, such a fighter must have the composure to face Jon Jones without fear.

REYES DROPS JONES IN THE FIRST!

(via @UFC)

https://t.co/EZ1AovS9Kd

However, the fighter in question cannot have a glaring hole in their defensive wrestling and grappling like former interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane. The closest thing to such a mythical figure is Francis Ngannou, whose 83-inch reach nearly matches Jon Jones'.

His height combined with his improved defensive wrestling, as shown during his bout with Stipe Miocic, would be key. Furthermore, he is long enough to still land on Jon Jones if he tries to post-and-retreat, and powerful enough to make every shot count.

The case for beating GOAT contender #2: Khabib Nurmagomedov

There is no secret as to what Khabib Nurmagomedov's goal was every time he stepped into the cage. It was to pressure his foe towards the fence and drag them into the deep waters of a suffocating wrestling game. Despite his success as a wrestler, his takedown entries were not the best.

Instead, the former lightweight champion was freakishly fast and explosive, able to shoot for takedowns from a much longer distance than others could. Even if his foe sprawled, all that mattered to Nurmagomedov was securing a grip on something, even the lower ankle, for he was physically strong enough for that to work.

From there, he'd start chaining takedowns. If his foe defended the first attempt, he'd simply transition to another, all while pushing his opponent towards the fence. His foe would either concede the takedown or be pinned against the cage. There, he'd showcase the true depth of his style.

Khabib Nurmagomedov would hold his opponent's wrist to render them one-armed, while shoving the top of his head against their chin, pinning their face to the fence to break their posture. When doing so, he'd use his free hand to land punches to the head, which his foes couldn't move.

This would force his opponent to raise their free hand to try and block punches. With his foe's only free hand nowhere near their hips, 'The Eagle' would drop down for takedowns. If his opponent managed to widen their base in time, he'd transition to a high-single and trip the standing leg or go for a rear-bodylock.

Often-time, an opponent would plant their hands on the mat to keep him from taking them down. However, he'd simply kick out one of their legs for an outside trip. Once the fight was on the mat, it was his world. He'd shove his head and shoulders against his opponent's chest, pinning them to the mat.

Meanwhile, he'd raise his hips so that he could step over his their guard. He'd also trap their arm under their torso so that he could more freely land ground-and-pound without them blocking his punches. Every now and then, he'd secure a submission as well, to which Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier can attest.

There are several more wrinkles to his game but what's clear is that an opponent must avoid the ground and the fence, because even if one avoids the mat with Nurmagomedov, being trapped against the fence still means losing the round, and his takedowns come easier against there.

Thus, it is important for an opponent avoid the fence with him. It is interesting to note that the one opponent to ever steal a round from 'The Eagle' was McGregor. While the idea of a mobile fighter using lateral footwork to avoid the fence as they counter him coming in is interesting, the Irishman revealed something.

McGregor knows what he was doing, he noticed every small thing that Khabib was throwing at him.
I just wish that knee had hit the right spot. https://t.co/7FNb8YVoCD

Nurmagomedov does not like pressure. Even former interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier had most of his success, besides his guillotine, when he pressured the Dagestani wrestling phenom. Nurmagomedov does not like being on the backfoot. So, the key to beating him is two-fold.

An opponent must have the tools to fight him from the outside, while applying pressure with front kicks up the middle as they're harder to catch for takedowns than round kicks. Keeping him on the backfoot prevents him from dictating the pace of the bout and comfortably timing his takedown entries, which are poor.

In the event that an opponent is on the backfoot, they must flatten out their stance the moment they're close to the black lines that border the fence. From there, they must shuffle from side to side and try to misdirect Nurmagomedov before circling back out into open space and reapplying pressure immediately.

If 'The Eagle' manages to secure a grip around their ankle with a low single-leg, his opponent would have to immediately turn sidewards, shove Nurmagomedov's head down hard to disrupt his posture and immediately hop out of his grip ala José Aldo.

If they're trapped in the clinch, they must frame by shoving their forearm against his head and land an elbow off the break by turning inwards, duping him into turning into the direction of the elbow. Unfortunately, all of this is much easier said than done.

It essentially involves borrowing different traits from Conor McGregor, Tony Ferguson, José Aldo and Leon Edwards. But perhaps that is what it takes to beat the undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov.