Khabib Nurmagomedov, Islam Makhachev and more: 5 UFC fighters who are considered super elite despite not beating that many great opponents
Over the years, we’ve seen plenty of UFC fighters reach legendary status inside the octagon, usually after beating a laundry list of high-level opponents.
Remarkably, though, there have been a number of UFC fighters who were considered elite despite not really beating all that many great opponents.
On some occasions this was because one or two great wins were enough to earn them that status. Other times, their overall record was outstanding enough to push them to that level.
Here are five UFC fighters who are considered super elite despite not beating that many great opponents.
#5. Alexander Gustafsson – former UFC light heavyweight contender
One fighter who is definitely considered super elite despite not having all that many great wins under his belt is former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Alexander Gustafsson.
Many fans consider the Swede one of the greatest fighters of his generation as well as one of the best to not capture gold inside the octagon. But does his record really stand up to scrutiny? It’s highly debatable.
‘The Mauler’ has picked up some big wins during his tenure with the promotion, which began in 2009 and is still ongoing. He broke into the light heavyweight rankings with a 2011 win over Matt Hamill, and then defeated former UFC and PRIDE titleholder Shogun Rua in 2012.
However, since that win, Gustafsson has only seen his hand raised three more times. On paper, wins over Jimi Manuwa, Jan Blachowicz and Glover Teixeira sound good, but the latter two wins came with caveats of sorts.
Uppercut 👊
Uppercut 👊
Uppercut 👊
TKO 💪
Alexander Gustafsson brutally finishes Glover Teixeira and then shows a touch of class. 👏 https://t.co/grTuI7BcFp
Blachowicz wasn’t near the same level he is now when Gustafsson outpointed him in 2016. The Teixeira win, meanwhile, was arguably set up by an unnoticed eye poke.
Essentially, then, the reason ‘The Mauler’ is considered so elite is the fact that he pushed both Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier incredibly hard in his fights with them, coming inches away from beating both men.
Had he won those bouts, then there’d be no argument over his elite status. As he didn’t, his spot on the pantheon is somewhat questionable.
#4. Khabib Nurmagomedov – former UFC lightweight champion
Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is not only considered one of the best lightweights of all time, but he’s usually considered up there with the very best fighters in MMA history, period.
However, while he walked away from the octagon with an undefeated record of 29-0 in late 2020, does his ledger actually match up to the elite status he’s usually given by observers?
In actuality, it’s slightly hard to say. Remarkably, if you look deeper at Khabib’s lauded undefeated record, he only defeated four opponents who could really be considered top-class: Rafael dos Anjos, Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje.
Sure, ‘The Eagle’ whitewashed all four men, but in reality, ‘RDA’ hadn’t quite hit his stride when he faced the Dagestani, with it being another year before he claimed lightweight gold. McGregor, meanwhile, hadn’t fought in well over a year prior to his bout with Khabib.
With that considered, then, it could be argued that Gaethje and Poirier were Khabib’s only true elite wins.
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!!!2️⃣8️⃣-0️⃣!!!
The standard for all LWs to be judged! @TeamKhabib #UFC242 https://t.co/oRuw9AGWHo
Despite this, it’s still easy to see why ‘The Eagle’ is so highly rated. Not only did he beat 29 opponents, 13 of them in the UFC, but he was never truly tested, walking through every single one of them without really taking a scratch.
If someone were to question his overall record in terms of quality, though, they’d probably have a point.
#3. Ken Shamrock – former UFC Superfight champion
When fans think of the UFC’s earliest legends, the names that tend to come to mind are pretty obvious, with the likes of Royce Gracie, Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn, Don Frye and Mark Coleman likely to be at the top of the list.
However, while Shamrock was arguably the most popular of all five at his peak, does ‘The World’s Most Dangerous Man’ really deserve to be considered an elite-level fighter, even for his time? It’s actually a fair question.
Shamrock famously debuted at the very first UFC event, tapping out Patrick Smith before being submitted by Gracie. While he returned at two more tournaments, he never claimed victory, withdrawing from both due to injury.
Throwback post: The First UFC event when I finished Pat Smith with a Heel hook. He had a hard time standing up because I damaged his ankle! #UFC1 #KenShamrock #WorldsMostDangerousMan #History https://t.co/tgVgvhvMKT
‘The World’s Most Dangerous Man’ did take Gracie to a time-limit draw in 1995, and then captured the UFC’s ‘Superfight’ title by beating Dan Severn. However, his reign was hardly outstanding. He drew with Oleg Taktarov and beat Kimo Leopoldo before losing in a rematch to Severn in 1996.
Even if you ignore Shamrock’s largely disastrous comeback in the 2000’s, as he was past his prime by that point, his early octagon record hardly holds up. Severn was the only elite-level opponent he beat. While he only lost to ‘The Beast’ and Gracie, his wins all came over much weaker foes.
Shamrock definitely deserves to be recognised as a pioneer of MMA, and warrants a ton of respect for that. In terms of the UFC’s overall pantheon, though, he belongs behind a number of other early legends.
#2. Islam Makhachev – UFC lightweight contender
If you ask many current UFC fans who the best lightweight fighter in the world is, a massive amount of them would probably name Islam Makhachev.
However, while the Dagestani will get a chance to prove that status when he faces Charles Oliveira in the main event of UFC 280 next weekend, whether he can really be considered elite-level right now is definitely debatable.
Makhachev is currently riding a 10-fight winning streak, and for any fighter to be able to go on that kind of run in the octagon is impressive. However, when you look at his record, it’s immediately noticeable that he hasn’t really fought many top-ranked foes.
His best win is probably Dan Hooker, who was 1-2 in his last three fights at the time. While Drew Dober, Bobby Green and Arman Tsarukyan are excellent fighters in their own right, none were ranked in the top 10 when Makhachev overcame them.
10. In. A. Row 😤
[ @MakhachevMMA | #UFCVegas49 ] https://t.co/l6hlEkKTuL
Essentially, Makhachev’s elite status seems to come from the fact that – like his mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov – nobody’s really tested him in years. If you add in the reports that top-ranked fighters have outright avoided facing him, then his reputation does make sense.
The truth is, though, that we won’t really know how elite Makhachev is until he steps into the octagon against Oliveira.
#1. Nick Diaz – former UFC welterweight contender
One legend of the octagon whose record really doesn’t stand up to scrutiny is Nick Diaz. One of the most popular fighters in UFC history, Diaz has headlined huge pay-per-views for the promotion, has fought for the welterweight title, and would be considered elite by most fans.
Does he actually have the wins to back that reputation up, though? Put simply, on the surface, the answer is no.
Diaz’s early career in the UFC saw his popularity rise. Realistically, though, a young Robbie Lawler was his best win. His more famous fights against Karo Parisyan, Diego Sanchez and Joe Riggs saw him lose.
The time he spent away from the promotion between 2006 and 2011 was when he really made his name as an elite-level fighter. Even then, his best wins came over the much smaller Takanori Gomi, Marius Zaromskis and Paul Daley, who weren’t really top-level.
Diaz did shine when he defeated B.J. Penn in his return to the octagon. His win over ‘The Prodigy’ probably stands as the best of his career. However, since then he hasn’t actually won a single fight.
Penn. Diaz. FREE FIGHT.
Watch it here: on.ufc.com/1BPWKZ9
#UFC183: Silva vs Diaz
Jan. 31 live on Pay-Per-View http://t.co/Pvkc5yWvmo
Essentially, Diaz never backed down from a fight and pushed genuine elite-level opponents all the way, but labelling him one of the all-time greats, based purely on his record, is probably a huge stretch.