"The success beat you"- Chael Sonnen gives his take on why Khabib Nurmagomedov retired with a perfect record
Chael Sonnen has put forth his take on why Khabib Nurmagomedov retired with a perfect 29-0 professional MMA record. Many believe that what makes Nurmagomedov legendary is that the sport of MMA rarely witnesses its elite fighters retire undefeated.
That said, Nurmagomedov’s critics have time and again highlighted that he didn’t compete at the highest level of MMA for long and that he retired too soon.
In an edition of Beyond the Fight, Chael Sonnen referenced former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson’s recent comments about Khabib Nurmagomedov. ‘Mighty Mouse’ indicated that Nurmagomedov can’t be considered the MMA G.O.A.T.- citing the lack of longevity in the Dagestani fighter’s career.
29-0 in MMA
13-0 in UFC
From Nashville to Fight Island, Khabib Nurmagomedov's unstoppable eight-year run through the UFC is officially at an end 🦅
The Eagle retires unmatched and undefeated.
We were lucky to be there for the journey 🙌
https://t.co/cKZGiUnS92
In regards to Nurmagomedov’s undefeated record, Johnson emphasized that had ‘The Eagle’ stuck around long enough, he would’ve been defeated. On that note, Sonnen used the example of amateur wrestling greats and noted that they usually retire while they’re still at the top of the game rather than sticking around until they’re beaten.
Sonnen stated:
“Okay, so you lost to success. The success beat you. The success got you. The success made you do something you didn’t want to do, which was to stop the sport that you love. I don’t have a problem with this. I’m just trying to break it down. I didn’t have that [success].”
'The American Gangster' also looped in Demetrious Johnson to lend strength to his argument, he continued:
“You take somebody like Khabib, who had never tasted defeat, you weigh that with what Demetrious is saying. He's saying, ‘Yeah, you never lost, but your loss is waiting around the corner.’ Demetrious is right. Whether that was one year or that was 100 years, Demetrious is, for sure, right – If you do this long enough, you’re going to get beat.”
Watch Sonnen's explanation at 2:31 in the video below:
John McCarthy explains why Khabib Nurmagomedov isn’t the MMA G.O.A.T.
Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov retired from MMA in October 2020. 'The Eagle' left his gloves in the octagon after submitting Justin Gaethje in a title-defense bout. Many speculated that Nurmagomedov, with a final emphatic win and an undefeated record, could be considered the best ever. Now that the recency bias is played out, many are airing their true beliefs.
Speaking of which, John McCarthy recently explained why former UFC light heavyweight champion and current heavyweight title aspirant Jon Jones, and not Nurmagomedov, is the true MMA G.O.A.T.
On the Weighing In podcast, McCarthy acknowledged that Khabib Nurmagomedov was the most dominant fighter in MMA, due to how impressively he beat his opponents and hardly having lost a round in his whole career. Nevertheless, crediting Jon Jones for his longevity at the top of the MMA food chain, McCarthy said:
"Here's the big difference: Jon Jones has had 15 title fights. How many title fights does Khabib have? That's a huge difference, and I think that's what [UFC president] Dana [White] is talking about. I think Jon Jones is [the best ever]."
Watch McCarthy’s assessment below: