Former UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones doesn’t think that Khabib Nurmagomedov stuck around long enough to prove all-time great status.
Jones is targeting a 2022 return to the Octagon after nearly two years away from the competition. He vacated the light heavyweight title in 2020 to pursue a run at heavyweight, a debut he still has yet to make.
Nurmagomedov retired on top of the lightweight division as an undefeated champion, with his last win coming against Justin Gaethje at UFC 254. He then announced his retirement after promising his mother following his father’s death just months before the event.
The UFC GOAT debate has continued to entice fans for years. In a recent tweet, Jones sarcastically called Nurmagomedov the GOAT and stated that the former lightweight champion left the game too soon to be a part of the conversation.
Jon Jones Thinks Khabib Nurmagomedov Isn’t The GOAT
“I really wish he would’ve stuck around long enough to prove that,” Jones tweeted. “But ok, maybe you’re right.”
Many UFC fans still believe that Jones is the greatest MMA fighter of all time, despite his out-of-competition transgressions and legal issues. He was most recently arrested in Las Vegas in battery domestic violence charges for allegedly beating his wife in a Caesar’s Palace hotel room.
Active fighters such as Kamaru Usman and Amanda Nunes continue to make the GOAT conversation more interesting. Nurmagomedov, as an undefeated champion who dominated some of the best lightweight contenders, deserves to be in the running as well.
Jones will no doubt be a UFC Hall of Famer by the time his career ends, and he received induction for his all-time great fight with Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165. He became the youngest UFC champion by defeating Shogun Rua at UFC 128, before defending the belt a record 11 times.
What are your thoughts on Jon Jones’ comments about Khabib Nurmagomedov?
