Khabib Nurmagomedov Ranks Greatest MMA Fighters Ever, Excludes Conor McGregor
April 12, 2023
Retired UFC lightweight champion and undefeated mixed martial artist Khabib Nurmagomedov provided his list of the top-15 fighters of all time in his estimation on Wednesday, and old rival Conor McGregor notably did not make the cut:
khabib nurmagomedov @TeamKhabibMy mma GOAT top 15 <br><br>1) Fedor/Jones<br>2) GSP<br>3) AndersonSilva<br>4) DemetriousJohnson <br>5) DanielCormier<br>6) HenryCehudo<br>7) JoseAldo<br>8) KamaruUsman<br>9) Adesanya<br>10) BJPENN<br>11) RoyceGraice<br>12) Couture/Velasquez <br>13) Hendo/Shogun<br>14) CroCop/Miocic <br>15) Dominic Cruz/Frankie Edgar
McGregor is the first fighter in UFC history to hold two championship belts simultaneously, as he once possessed the featherweight and lightweight titles. The Irishman also owned a 15-match winning streak that included a first-round knockout of then-featherweight champion José Aldo. One year later, he beat Eddie Alvarez for the lightweight crown.
Khabib eventually beat McGregor for that title two years later and finished his career 29-0. He could make his own case to be the GOAT, although it's hard to argue that McGregor should be outside the top 15, given his tremendous resume.
As far as the best rivalries in the sport go, Khabib vs. McGregor is certainly up there. The two had a very long feud that reached its apex at UFC 229 after Khabib beat McGregor via submission. After the match, a scuffle involving both fighters and their camps broke out. The Nevada State Athletic Commission suspended Khabib for nine months and fined him $500,000, and McGregor got a six-month suspension with a $50,000 fine.
Khabib ended his career with a second-round submission victory over Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 in Oct. 2020. McGregor is still working his way back from a broken leg suffered against Dustin Poirier in 2021, but he will appear in the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter alongside Michael Chandler.
