There’s always going to be talk of who the greatest MMA fighters of all time are but this year more than most, it has been a particularly relevant conversation. Whether it’s due to the discourse surrounding Jon Jones and the pound-for-pound rankings or the retirement of Demetrious Johnson, it’s been a consistent topic in recent […]
One of the latest fighters to weigh in with his own take on the discussion is the former UFC featherweight champion, Max Holloway. “Blessed” not only comes in with a fairly unique Mount Rushmore list but explains why they all deserve their spots.
“I would say Demetrious (Johnson) is definitely up there, Anderson Silva is there too, GSP and then you have to give it to Forrest Griffin because he helped put the UFC on the map. That TUF Finale on Spike TV was huge for the UFC, so those are my guys for sure. Those four guys are absolute animals.”
Holloway went on to talk about how, in his opinion, Johnson does not get the respect that he deserves just because he reigned supreme in the smallest of the men’s weight classes.
“When you talk about Demetrious Johnson, it seems insane to me how he is viewed just because he fought at 125 lbs. This 125-er would absolutely whoop your ass. A lot of bigger guys think they can hang with him, you get these influencers and social media personalities who go around screaming, ‘I’m 260 bro, he’s 125lbs. Brother, Demetrious Johnson would take your ACL and your arm home and then he would come back and cut your head off if he wanted to. You could do nothing about it, he’s such a beast.”
The BMF titleholder added that he has a lot of respect for the greatest welterweight and middleweight of all time, both of which made his list.
“I wish I was fighting during the time that GSP was around, I would have loved to have shared the Octagon with him. He’s one of the greats, as was Anderson Silva – he was such a beast.”
Holloway signed off by explaining the reasoning behind his picks, detailing his own specific criteria and why that eliminates his long time rival, Daniel Cormier.
“Some people might disagree with my Mount Rushmore, but I’m looking at the way these fighters carried themselves inside and outside of the Octagon, how they were ambassadors for the sport and for the company as well. ‘DC’ is probably going to be mad that he’s not on my Mount Rushmore of MMA, but I don’t like the way he carries himself out of the UFC. He thinks he’s the ‘Daddest Man on the Planet’, he is delusional.”
UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov is looking to train the 17-year-old ‘Jojo’ Johan Ghazali for a potential future debut in…
UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov is looking to train the 17-year-old ‘Jojo’ Johan Ghazali for a potential future debut in MMA. Right now, ‘Jojo’ is a prodigy of Muay Thai.
Johan Ghazali
At just 17 years of age, Johan Ghazali is a rising star in the world of Muay Thai. Both of his parents trained in Muay Thai and he began training when he was just 10 years old, merely seven years ago. The Malaysian-American fighter has impressed Muay Thai fans with his 16-second knockout against Padetsuk Fairtex. Thus far in ONE Championship, he has put together a record of 6-1 having won most of these matchups by KO/TKO.
Khabib Nurmagomedov
Dagestan’s Khabib Nurmagomedov is widely regarded as one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time due to his run in the UFC’s lightweight division. His dominant wins made him an international star. After retiring with an unbeaten record, vacating his world title, ‘The Eagle’ took to training future champions.
One of his most successful students is the current UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. Plus, Bellator MMA champion Usman Nurmagomedov and the top-ranked Umar Nurmagomedov.
Khabib Nurmagomedov assessed the Muay Thai skills of Johan Ghazali in Malaysia recently and remarked:
“I know he is a good young striker, he told me in the future he wants to move to MMA when he finishes with Muay Thai. He is always welcome to Dagestan and train at our gym. In MMA you need to train in wrestling, and he will improve that by training with us.”
On potentially opening a gym in Malaysia, the former UFC champion said:
“This is a very good idea. We’re thinking about this. Why not we open a gym here and bring good coaches? It will be good for all Malaysia MMA.”
Khabib Nurmagomedov has seemingly confirmed when reigning UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev will return to action. Makhachev has had just one outing in 2024 — a hard-fought submission win over Dustin Poirier at the Newark-held UFC 302 event to record his second defense of the 155-pound title. For the third straight year, the Russian was […]
Khabib Nurmagomedov has seemingly confirmed when reigning UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev will return to action.
Makhachev has had just one outing in 2024 — a hard-fought submission win over Dustin Poirier at the Newark-held UFC 302 event to record his second defense of the 155-pound title.
For the third straight year, the Russian was then being lined up to headline the promotion’s annual October pay-per-view in Abu Dhabi. But an injury that required surgery scuppered those plans and ruled Makhachev out for the remainder of 2024.
Khabib Leaks January UFC Title Defense For Makhachev
During a recent interview (via Ushatayka), Khabib provided an update on Makhachev’s return after injury stalled plans for a second assignment in 2024.
While he stayed short of confirming a location or opponent, “The Eagle” did reveal that his protégé has accepted a bout offer from the UFC for an event in January 2025, likely UFC 311.
“UFC offered us a fight already, in January. We accepted it,” Nurmagomedov said. “UFC will announce very soon where it will take place and who will be Islam’s opponent. I will not make an announcement myself, but I can say that we are focused on January.”
Although his name wasn’t mentioned, there’s little doubt about Tsarukyan’s status as next in line for a shot at title glory following his decision win over former champ Charles Oliveira at UFC 300 this past April.
In the eyes of many, Khabib Nurmagomedov is one of, if not the greatest mixed martial artists of all…
In the eyes of many, Khabib Nurmagomedov is one of, if not the greatest mixed martial artists of all time.
Walking away from the sport in 2020 amid an impressive 29-0 run and a UFC lightweight world title reign, ‘The Eagle’ has continued to have a significant impact in the sport through those he trains — most notably the UFC’s current 155-pound champion, Islam Makhachev. Nurmagomedov has also helped his cousins, Usman and Umar Nurmagomedov achieve greatness in the cage.
The former is the reigning Bellator lightweight champion while the latter is the UFC’s No. 2 ranked bantamweight and is the odds-on favorite to challenge new titleholder Merab Dvalishvili.
But we’re not here to talk about their accomplishments. Today, we look back at the five greatest moments of Khabib Nurmagomedov’s illustrious career.
No. 5 – ‘The Eagle’ Makes his Debut at UFC 148
When talking about the best moments in Nurmagomedov’s career, it’s probably best to start at the very beginning. On July 7, 2012, ‘The Eagle’ introduced himself to fight fans at UFC on FX 1 against WEC veteran Kamal Shalorus.
Nurmagomedov put on a relentless pace from the get-go and dominated the ‘Prince of Persia’ before finishing things just past the two-minute mark of the third round with a rear-naked choke. It was just the first of 13 total fights Nurmagomedov would win inside the Octagon, including seven finishes.
No. 4 – Khabib Chokes out ‘The Diamond’
After securing a successful defense of the UFC lightweight championship 11 months prior, Nurmagomedov returned to headline UFC 242 against a streaking Dustin Poirier at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi — otherwise known as Fight Island. The Diamond’ went into the bout riding a massive wave of momentum, earning wins over Anthony ‘Showtime’ Pettis, Justin Gaethje, Eddie Alvarez, and Max Holloway.
Many thought that Poirier’s impeccable boxing skills would get the job done against the Dagestani’s grapple-heavy attack. Unfortunately for fans of Poirier, that was not the case.
Khabib dominated the fight with his relentless pressure and smothering top game before finally forcing the Lafayette, Louisiana native to tap out before the halfway point of the third round. With Poirier walking into the bout as the interim lightweight champion, ‘The Eagle’ successfully unified the belts and further established himself as one of the P4P best in the world.
No. 3 – Dominating Michael Johnson
Though it was his eighth career fight inside the Octagon, Khabib Nurmagomedov had not quite reached superstar status — until this fight.
At the time, Johnson had established himself as a formidable foe going 5-2 in his last seven fights, including wins over Joe Lauzon, Gleison Tibau, Edson Barboza, and Dustin Poirier. However, he was no match for the Dagestani. As Johnson tried to let his hands go, Nurmagomedov took ‘The Menace’ down swiftly and completely overwhelmed the American on the mat.
While in top control, ‘The Eagle’ infamously yelled at Dana White cageside, lobbying for a UFC title fight in the middle of a scrap. Nurmagomedov’s ability to nullify an elite striker while simultaneously negotiating with the promotion’s CEO made the undefeated star must-see TV overnight.
Khabib Nurmagomedov talking with Michael Johnson while mauling him on the ground:
Nurmagomedov’s final career fight came against one of the UFC’s most celebrated strikers, Justin Gaethje. ‘The Highlight’ earned his shot via a five-round shellacking of former interim titleholder Tony Ferguson at UFC 249. Gaethje hoped to deliver a similar performance, but ‘The Eagle’ had other plans.
Despite carrying the heartache of losing his father three months prior, Nurmagomedov was on top form during their UFC 254 headliner in Abu Dhabi.
As he’d done so many times before, Nurmagomedov’s relentless pressure right out of the gate put Gaethje into survival mode early. 94 seconds into the second round, things came to an end after ‘The Eagle’ seamlessly transitioned into a triangle choke and put Gaethje to sleep.
Following the win, an emotional Nurmagomedov announced to the world that he was officially retiring from the sport, vowing to never fight again following the loss of his father. He walked away with a perfect 29-0 record and three title defenses against three of the absolute best fighters the lightweight division has ever seen.
No. 1 – Khabib Throws Down with Conor McGregor
This one should come as no surprise.
Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor was without a doubt the most anticipated fight in UFC history. It was just a battle between the two biggest names in the lightweight division — it was a clash of larger-than-life superstars who had completely dominated the competition up to that point. Adding to the intrigue of their matchup was the all-too-real hatred between the two combatants.
Long before the two titans stepped into the Octagon at UFC 229, McGregor and Nurmagomedov made headlines after the Irishman and his entourage infamously attacked a bus they believed was carrying the Dagestani. McGregor launched a dolly into one of the vehicle’s windows, shattering a glass that caused both injury and trauma to fighters onboard, including ‘Thug’ Rose Namajunas and Michael Chiesa.
Once the two were locked inside the cage, it was clear that Nurmagomedov was levels above the former two-division titleholder. ‘The Eagle’ dominated the action from the opening bell up until the moment he forced ‘Mystic Mac’ to tap out via a rear-naked choke at the 3:03 mark of round four. Of course, the fight was far from done.
McGregor vs. Nurmagomedov had everything. Drama, chaos, technical mastery, and the highest of stakes. That’s why their iconic clash in Las Vegas is still one of the highest gates in UFC history and the hottest-selling pay-per-view of all time, securing 2.4 million buys.
Merab Dvalishvili has won tons of fans with his unhinged social media personality. Ahead of his fight with Sean O’Malley, “The Machine” released several skits mocking the champ and they’ve aged like fine wine now that he’s champion. Similarly, Dvalishvili has repeatedly spoken his mind on Umar Nurmagomedov getting a title shot after just one […]
Merab Dvalishvili has won tons of fans with his unhinged social media personality. Ahead of his fight with Sean O’Malley, “The Machine” released several skits mocking the champ and they’ve aged like fine wine now that he’s champion.
Similarly, Dvalishvili has repeatedly spoken his mind on Umar Nurmagomedov getting a title shot after just one win over a ranked UFC bantamweight. His rivalry with the undefeated prospect has taken a new turn since he questioned the latter representing Russia.
Dvalishvili recently explained the history of Georgia in detail and why he’s not a big fan of many fighters representing Russia.
Merab Dvalishvili Reveals Why He Doesn’t Consider Umar Nurmagomedov, Khabib, Islam Makhachev, And Other ‘Caucasian’ Fighters Russian
In a recent episode of the Fight Back podcast hosted by Jake Shields on YouTube, Dvalishvili discussed the history of Georgia. He told Shields about Russia still occupying 20% of Georgia and looked back at the terrors of the 2008 Russo-Georgian war.
Dvalishvili didn’t hide his understandable animosity toward the Russian government as he witnessed several war crimes as a teenager. However, he admitted to not having the same feelings for Russian citizens who’ve always appreciated Georgia’s hospitality as well.
The UFC bantamweight kingpin then reiterated that the following UFC fighters represent Russia but they technically belong to different independent nations:
Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and Umar Nurmagomedov come from Dagestan.
Khamzat Chimaev belongs to Chechen Republic of Ichkeria.
Movsar Evloev hails from Ingushetia.
“They are all on, I mean, it’s not independent country but all different countries. They are Muslim people, they have own culture, own tradition. That people, we call them Caucasian people, like because we have Caucas mountains. So, we are this side, they are other side. And then, but now, so like, I’m not going to say occupied but yeah somehow the Russia take over those countries and they have to ‘represent’ Russia. So, and I say, when somebody asked me Umar is from Russia, that’s why you don’t…I said, no, Umar not from Russia. He’s from Dagestan.”
Dvalishvili made sure to point out that he understands the aforementioned fighters choosing to represent Russia for political, personal, or any other reasons. It’ll be interesting to see whether these remarks will add to the intensity of his rivalry with Nurmagomedov, though.
From the moment that he arrived in the UFC, Umar Nurmagomedov was never going to be your usual Octagon debutant. The bantamweight contender is the older brother of Usman Nurmagomedov and the cousin of the great Khabib Nurmagomedov, who retired on top of the sport. After everything that the senior Nurmagomedov was able to accomplish […]
From the moment that he arrived in the UFC, Umar Nurmagomedov was never going to be your usual Octagon debutant.
The bantamweight contender is the older brother of Usman Nurmagomedov and the cousin of the great Khabib Nurmagomedov, who retired on top of the sport.
After everything that the senior Nurmagomedov was able to accomplish in the UFC, there is always going to be high expectations for his own family to live up to that name.
“The Eagle” didn’t just have success at the highest level of MMA, he was able to completely dominate opponents to the point where he made the toughest stylistic fights look easy.
This has had a knock-on effect on Umar Nurmagomedov, in the way that some fans perceive him.
Umar Nurmagomedov Says Some Fans Get Underwhelmed When He Isn’t “The Eagle”
During an interview on the Pound 4 Pound podcast, Nurmagomedov spoke about the way that some fans are not impressed by him because he isn’t as dominant as his elder cousin.
The #2-ranked contender in the bantamweight division, who is likely next in line for a title shot, is putting on great performances but that doesn’t mean that his style or the way that he wins is the same as when “The Eagle” stepped inside the Octagon.
With an undefeated record of 18-0, Nurmagomedov was asked by Kamaru Usman whether exceeding the legendary 29-0 record is something that he thinks about.
He responded by saying that he isn’t looking to replicate his cousin’s career despite people often measuring him by that same level.
“I think it’s going to be difficult to become too close [to] this man and even right now, everybody when we’re going to the cage, when we fought, everybody wait, we’re going to do same job and our wins not bring to people same emotional [effect], you know, because Khabib was maul everyone.
“He go inside, finish him or broke [opponent], he did in the cage like great job and people, to see Nurmagomedov fight, they think we’re going to do same and when we win, they said, ‘Ah it’s like regular fighter, he just win’.”
UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov is looking to train the 17-year-old ‘Jojo’ Johan Ghazali for a potential future debut in…
In the eyes of many, Khabib Nurmagomedov is one of, if not the greatest mixed martial artists of all…
