Dana White explains why Khabib IS NOT the UFC G.O.A.T.

UFC president Dana White does not consider former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov one of the greatest fighters of all time.

Khabib retired after his third straight title defense against Justin Gaethje in October 2020. “The Eagle” Nurmagomedov left the UFC with an unbeaten record of 29-0, defeating the likes of Gaethje, Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier. Khabib’s undefeated record and dominant performances inside the octagon has landed him a spot on most G.O.A.T. (Greatest of all time) list, but not on White’s. During an interview with GQ Sports, the UFC president said that he does NOT consider Khabib to be one of the all-time bests, and he explained why:

“It’s so hard, White said. “Obviously, he is talented enough. You know, who knows what he could accomplish? But he retired too early. I mean Jon Jones is probably gonna fight at heavyweight this year. You know, whatever you think about Jon, it’s hard not to call him a G.O.A.T. Believe me when I tell you, I have tried to convince Khabib to come out of retirement. We will see what happens over the next couple of years. But I feel like he left in his prime. I mean, look at what he did to Justin Gaethje right before he retired.”

Is Khabib the UFC GOAT? 👀

Watch @danawhite's #GQActuallyMe: https://t.co/UkqIOY4KTh pic.twitter.com/YtyB4RVHez

— GQ Sports (@GQSports) August 11, 2022

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Dana White keeps Khabib out of his top-5

When asked which fighters that he considers the top-5 fighters of all time, Dana White left Khabib out of the conversation:

“Jon Jones, Anderson Silva, Ronda Rousey, Conor McGregor, GSP. There’s so many other people that should be on there. Usman should be on there.”

Jon Jones, Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre are usually named in the conversation for greatest MMA fighter of all time. UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman is on his way there with fifteen straight UFC wins and five title defenses. Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey are more surprising picks, but considering what they did for the sport and the UFC, it is not difficult to grasp why White would give them a spot on his list.