Ariel Helwani says Khabib Nurmagomedov's MMA GOAT status is "debatable"
MMA journalist Ariel Helwani believes Khabib Nurmagomedov's status as the GOAT of MMA is up for debate due to him only defending the lightweight title three times during his career.
During the latest segment of On the Nose, a show where Helwani answers fan questions, the 40-year-old was asked whether or not Nurmagomedov's undefeated record (29-0) was the only reason many consider him the greatest fighter of all time.
According to Helwani, while 'The Eagle's' undefeated streak is certainly impressive, his lack of title defenses when compared to fighters such as Jon Jones and Anderson Silva put his greatest of all time status up for debate:
"I think that Khabib's GOAT status is arguable. This is not me getting into politics or any commentary of how I feel about anything... If you think that his current GOAT status given his current record isn't debatable, you're insane. Only three title defenses, you're all out of your minds."
The Canadian-born reporter added:
"If everyone is available, you cannot compare his resume to Jon Jones' resume. You can't compare what he did to what Anderson Silva did, you cannot. You can't compare what he did to Georges St-Pierre, you can't compare it to even DC. I'm sorry. Why is this even a question?... I'm not saying he can't be included, I'm not saying it's definitive, just look at the numbers, look at the resume."
Catch Helwani discussing Khabib Nurmagomedov here:
Conor McGregor accuses Khabib Nurmagomedov of hiding from a rematch
Former UFC double champ Conor McGregor has once again taken aim at Khabib Nurmagomedov, accusing the Russian fighter of repeatedly dodging a rematch between the pair.
McGregor and Nurmagomedov last fought over four years ago in one of the UFC's biggest grudge matches of all time. The rivalry was personal and bitter for much of the build-up. In the fight, 'The Eagle' managed to submit the Irishman in the fourth round at UFC 229.
2 or the bang of poo. https://t.co/yVnMESBoLE
UFC 229 is infamous for its chaos following the main event, as a brawl broke out between McGregor and Nurmagomedov's teams inside and outside the octagon. According to 'Notorious', the Russian fighter has bottled cashing in on their rivalry for a second time:
"Actually you know what I don't want to fight the smellbag there are way better fights out there but let it be known the biggest wet the bed in fighting history is what this guy is. Think of the magnitude this fight would have. Absolute bottler you are. Father gonna slap you 100%"
Actually you know what I don’t want to fight the smellbag there are way better fights out there but let it be known the biggest wet the bed in fighting history is what this guy is. Think of the magnitude this fight wound have. Absolute bottler you are. Father gonna slap you 100%
Should the pair ever run the fight back, it would likely be one of the biggest selling pay-per-views of all time. Their first fight currently holds the record with over 2.4 million buys, but a second bout between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov could certainly top the list.