“He Didn’t Compete Long Enough”: Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Rules Out Khabib Nurmagomedov From Trending G.O.A.T. MMA Fighter Debate

The entire UFC community was shaken up when the undefeated UFC fighter, Khabib Nurmagomedov, announced his retirement. The former champion announced his retirement when his record stood at 29 victories and zero losses. For his last bout at UFC 254, ‘The Eagle’ faced Justin Gaethje. They faced off on October 24, 2020, where the Dagestani fighter forced Gaethje to submit via triangle choke in round two. Soon after the bout ended, Nurmagomedov declared that he was retiring from fighting. He was just 32 years old.

He made it clear that he does not want to continue in the sport without the guidance of his father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov. The Dagestani fighter’s father passed away on July 3, 2020, due to complications caused by COVID. Following his sudden demise, ‘The Eagle’s mother asked him to quit fighting.

Since Nurmagomedov’s retirement, the UFC world has been split into two sections, and these two sections have continued the debate over whether the former lightweight champ is the G.O.A.T. or not. Finally, someone has given the perfect answer, to which UFC legend Tim Sylvia completely agreed.

An end to long lasted debate on Khabib Nurmagomedov?

‘The Eagle’ has destroyed some of the tough fighters in the UFC, like Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier. There is no doubt that Nurmagomedov was one of the greatest fighters when he was in the promotion. Nonetheless, people still debate if he was the greatest fighter of all time. It was a Twitter user named Mac Malley who shared his thoughts on the matter.

He tweeted “Khabib does not belong in the GOAT conversation with the likes of GSP, Mighty Mouse and Jon Jones. It’s simply an issue of longevity. Khabib may go down as the most dominant fighter of all time but you simply can’t compare his resume to fighters that have as many title wins as he had fights in the UFC.”

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After coming across the tweet, the former two-time UFC heavyweight champion, Tim Sylvia, wrote “Thank you for someone else saying this. If he kept fighting he definitely could be up for it. But he didn’t compete long enough. @TeamKhabib but still a fan.” 

The unexpected move from “The Eagle”

There is no doubt that the UFC community so badly wanted to see ‘The Eagle’ for a longer time in the promotion. According to many fans, if he had stayed longer, he would have fought the toughest opponents, and no one would have dared ask if he was great. The tweet is proof that UFC legends like “The Maine-iac” felt the same. It was yet another shock for fans when Nurmagomedov declared that he was retiring from MMA coaching, as he wanted to spend more time with his family. No one expected the undefeated fighter to bid adieu to the sport so soon.

Who do you think is the GOAT? Let us know in the comments below.

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