"Kamaru actually is going to pass Khabib's number" - Ali Abdelaziz believes Kamaru Usman may surpass Khabib Nurmagomedov's accomplishments

Khabib Nurmagomedov (left), Ali Abdelaziz (center), and Kamaru Usman (right) [Center Image Courtesy: @aliabdelaziz000 on Instagram]

Ali Abdelaziz believes it's only a matter of time before Kamaru Usman surpasses Khabib Nurmagomedov's status as an all-time great.

Abdelaziz, who manages both fighters, said Usman should be regarded in the same breath as Khabib. In an interview with ESPN's Brett Okamoto, the Dominance MMA CEO said:

"You gotta start talking about Kamaru the same as Khabib. Because Kamaru is actually gonna pass Khabib's number. The only close fight Kamaru had, it was Colby. And he's gonna right the wrong, November 6th. He's gonna go there and I'll be shocked if Colby lasts for more than three rounds. He's gonna go to sleep, waking up in the morning, and the whole, entire world is going to forget about Colby Covington."

Presently, Usman already has more UFC wins than Khabib (14 to 13). 'The Nigerian Nightmare' has also defended his crown four times, while Khabib has defended his thrice. Unless 'The Eagle' comes out of retirement, Usman's statistics could dwarf Khabib's UFC accomplishments in the years to come.

Usman also climbed to the top spot in the UFC's pound-for-pound rankings last month. However, Abdelaziz claimed that he has higher expectations for his star client. He said:

"Pound-for-pound for me means nothing. (Usman's) name should start being talked about as one of the GOATs... (He's) tied with Georges St-Pierre for the most wins in the welterweight division. Never been knocked out, never been dropped, never got taken down in the UFC."

Watch Ali Abdelaziz's assessment of Kamaru Usman's status:

Ali Abdelaziz says Kamaru Usman is already ahead of Georges St-Pierre

Ahead of his fifth title defense, Kamaru Usman is already the greatest welterweight of all time, according to Ali Abdelaziz. Usman is fresh off back-to-back knockout wins over Gilbert Burns and Jorge Masvidal. In the eyes of his manager, he has done enough to surpass Georges St-Pierre as the greatest UFC welterweight ever.

With 14 victories under his belt, Kamaru Usman is tied with GSP for the most wins in the UFC's 170-pound division. However, St-Pierre still holds the record for most welterweight title defenses with eight.

👑 Usman v Covington 2
👑 Namajunas v Zhang 2
🔥 Gaethje v Chandler

Your #UFC268 official poster is here.

Cannot wait 🗽 https://t.co/28iyOBGZYJ

Usman is scheduled to take on Colby Covington in the main event of UFC 268 on November 6 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. It will be a rematch of their UFC 245 title fight, which saw 'The Nigerian Nightmare' retain the crown via fifth-round TKO.