UFC News: Between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Jon Jones, Glover Teixeira says the top spot for pound-for-pound is an easy choice
Khabib Nurmagomedov has proved his mettle yet another time at UFC 242 by defeating Dustin Poirier via submission and reclaiming his status as the solo Lightweight Champion. The impressive show he put up while taking his victory streak to a straight 28th win, raised the question whether he is the best fighter in the Octagon right now.
Jon Jones on the other hand is the current Light Heavyweight Champion and presently leading the UFC pound-for-pound ranking. Although the ‘Bones’ have been beaten one in UFC which is one more than “The Eagle”, he has successfully defended his title 10 times and has a total of 25 wins in his professional career under his belt.
With Khabib earning accolades for his recent achievement and breathing down Jones’ neck for the top spot for UFC’s pound-for-pound, it certainly calls for a debate on who deserves it right now. Glover Teixeira happens to believe it is the former.
MMA Junkie reported on his opinion.
Teixeira thinks Khabib is ‘a ten’
Glover Teixeira has a lot of respect for the current No. 1 for sure. Back in 2014, he even had a brush with him at UFC 172 where he suffered a five-round decision loss. But when it comes to who should really be the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter, Khabib’s dominance against Poirier has reaffirmed it for Teixeira that he is indeed the more deserving candidate.
“I think Jon Jones is up there, for sure. Jon Jones, he’s been there. But after I saw Khabib’s last fight – Dustin Poirier, I saw that kid training and I saw how he good he is, and the way he dominated Dustin Poirier, in my mind, he’s definitely the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter.”
In his opinion, Khabib is a level apart from the other fighters in his division. He is very much a “ten” while the rest of them are merely a “seven”.
“Jon Jones has won more title defenses and all that, but Jon Jones hasn’t dominated opponents the way Khabib has been. Khabib just looks like way too much. He’s way above the guys. He’s like a 10, and the people he’s fighting are like a 7.”
Glover Texeira himself is set to face Nikita Krylov at UFC on ESPN+ 16 on Saturday at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, Canada.
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