"Kid's good, he's awesome" - When Dana White praised Khabib Nurmagomedov following win over Rafael dos Anjos

Dana White (left), Khabib Nurmagomedov (right) [Credits: @TeamKhabib, @ufc via Twitter]

Dana White has always been appreciative of Khabib Nurmagomedov. 'The Eagle' drew the boss' attention after he defeated Rafael dos Anjos in his sixth fight in the octagon at UFC on Fox: Werdum vs. Browne.

In an interview after Nurmagomedov defeated the former Brazilian titleholder, White was full of praise for the Dagestani Sambo specialist and rightfully commended him for his skillset inside the octagon:

"I saw bits and pieces of that fight, I didn't see the whole fight. No, the kid's good, he's awesome."

Watch the full post-fight press conference from UFC on Fox 11 below:

Little did Dana White know that Khabib Nurmagomedov was on his way to becoming not only one of the greatest lightweights but one of the best MMA fighters of all time.

The Russian defeated the likes of Michael Johnson and Edson Barboza on his way to a title shot. Khabib defeated Al Iaquinta at UFC 223 to finally secure his dream of capturing the lightweight title. He went on to defeat Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje in title bouts.

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Nurmagomedov retired on 24th October 2020 after his fight against Gaethje, which he won by submitting 'The Highlight' with a triangle choke.

29-0 it is.

He is 💯 officially retired. It was incredible to watch you work @TeamKhabib thank you for EVERYTHING and enjoy whatever is next my friend. https://t.co/QeoSP12zw2

Dana White recently explained why he doesn't consider Khabib Nurmagomedov one of the greatest of all time

Dana White recently discussed who he thinks is the greatest fighter of all time. Shockingly, the UFC boss did not include Khabib Nurmagomedov in his picks but instead named two Hall of Famers who fought in the UFC.

Dana White explains why he can't name Khabib Nurmagomedov as greatest ever

mirror.co.uk/sport/other-sp… https://t.co/HErp8Autj9

However, he did state that if Nurmagomedov had competed in the UFC for a longer time, he'd surely be included among the GOATs.

Speaking to Teddy Atlas and Ken Rideout on their YouTube show, The Fight, White said:

"It's so hard. I mean, Chuck Liddell and Ronda Rousey are two people who really helped build this business, you know, super loyal. Right now, I think Kamaru Usman is the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world, what he's accomplished in the past few years is amazing. I think Khabib Nurmagomedov probably could be called the greatest ever, who knows, if he'd stuck around longer. It was unfortunate, the passing of his father..."

Khabib's father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, tragically passed away in 2020 due to complications with COVID-19. After his death, 'The Eagle' claimed to have promised his mother that he'd spend more time with her and his family instead of fighting.

One year ago, Khabib fought for the last time to honor his father & finished Gaethje before retiring from MMA... #UFC #MMA https://t.co/1xYjTLhUhZ