Khabib Nurmagomedov is officially the best fighter on the UFC stage. This was after Khabib took the top spot of the UFC’s pound for pound fighter list.
Khabib rose to first place in reference to data updates on the official UFC website on Tuesday (27/10). The fighter nicknamed The Eagle, replaced Jon Jones, who competed in the light heavyweight division.
Under Khabib and Jon Jones, there were other great fighters such as Israel Adesanya, Stipe Miocic, to Kamaru Usman. These fighters are in the top five of the UFC pound for pound list.
Khabib previously finished second on the pound for pound mixed martial arts list of fighters. He is still under the shadow of Jon Jones, who has won 15 championship duels.
However, Khabib shot to the top after defeating Justin Gaethje at UFC 254. The 32-year-old fighter defeated Gaethje via submission in the second round.
The victory also extended Khabib’s unbeaten streak in the UFC arena. He recorded 29 wins in a row since the beginning of his career.
After successfully defending his lightweight title for the third time, Khabib decided to retire. Khabib felt that he could no longer fight without his father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, who died on July 3, 2020.
Many fans, world athletes, and even other UFC fighters then called Khabib the best after the victory and his retirement decision. UFC President Dana White also admits Khabib deserves the title of best pound for pound fighter.
However, Jon Jones responded coldly to Khabib’s label as the best fighter. He did not want this status to change to Khabib.
The American fighter also mentioned UFC legend Georges St-Pierre. For Jon Jones, only St-Pierre can match his record and become the UFC’s greatest fighter.
“The only person who could possibly come back and challenge my record, for what I have done at the UFC is probably Georges St-Pierre. He has to come back and win two title battles to match me,” said Jon Jones.
