Javier Mendez, the head coach of UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov believes a potential bout between his fighter and the former welterweight and middleweight champion Georges St-Pierre would decide who is the greatest MMA fighter of all time.
“Yeah, I think so, and so does Khabib,” Mendez said in Spanish when asked about the potential fight on Monday’s episode of “Hablemos MMA.” “The person that beats GSP will be the best of all time; I think so.”
Nurmagomedov previously revealed he plans to fight ‘GSP’ in April and Mendez believes that fight is on the table right now.
“Yeah, it’s a big possibility,” Mendez said. “He might do that because all the times that I was with him and his dad, they’ve talked about those things: two more fights, 30-0.
“They want to a legacy fight, then be done and help the other guys that are starting their fighting careers. There’s great fighters, cousins of his who are great fighter like Umar and Usman Nurmagomedov. They’re his blood. They’re going to be great fighters. Islam Makhachev too.
“So he wants to help them get to the title. I don’t think he’ll fight beyond that, but anything is possible. I was a fighter too and when you’re finishing a career, you feel it in your heart, you want to fight more and it’s hard not to fight. I don’t think he’ll continue fighting, but anything is possible.”
Nurmagomedov is intent on honouring his late father by securing legacy fights against the likes of Georges St-Pierre.
“He doesn’t want that fight for money and that’s what his father wanted,” Mendez said. “He told me, ‘That’s what my father wants. What do you think coach?’ And I was like, ‘You know, if that’s what your father wants, we can do it, and if that’s what you want as well.’ And he’s like, ‘Yeah, I want to do it for my father, so I’m like, ‘Let’s do it.’
“But if he doesn’t want to end his career he can jump back in there. He’s young, he’s only 31, so he still has a more years of fighting. I’m not going to tell him he has to fight. I’m going to go with what he wants to do.” (Transcribed by MMA Junkie)
Do you think the winner of Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Georges St-Pierre would be the greatest MMA fighter of all time?