Michael Bisping claims Khabib Nurmagomedov’s early retirement from the UFC takes the Dagestani OUT of the GOAT debate as his record ‘does NOT stack up’ with the likes of Jon Jones, Georges St-Pierre and Anderson Silva
- Michael Bisping says Khabib Nurmagomedov should not be in GOAT debate
- The Dagestani, 33, retired with an unblemished record of 29-0 last year
- However, Bisping says his early retirement takes away from his GOAT claim
- The Brit said the Dagestani’s record ‘does not stack up’ with other UFC legends
Khabib Nurmagomedov’s early retirement from the UFC means he cannot be considered in the GOAT conversation, according to Hall of Famer Michael Bisping.
Nurmagomedov, 33, opted to walk away from mixed martial arts following his victory over Justin Gaethje last November, citing a vow to his mother as reason for his decision to stop fighting.
The Dagestani star retired with an unblemished record of 29 wins and no defeats, with some fans and pundits labelling Nurmagomedov the greatest fighter to ever set foot in the Octagon.
Khabib Nurmagomedov’s early retirement has hindered his GOAT status, it has been claimed
The Dagestani, 33, retired from the UFC last November after defeating Justin Gaethje
However, former UFC middleweight champion Bisping believes that Nurmagomedov’s early retirement from the sport – thereby preventing him from racking up an incredible list of title defences – has a detrimental effect on his claim for Greatest of all Time status.
‘Yeah, he took himself out of it,’ Bisping told The Pain Game. ‘And if you look, yeah, he didn’t fight the best until the end of his career.
‘When you compare that with GSP [Georges St-Pierre] or [Jon] Jones or Anderson [Silva], their run against world-class competition was far longer.
‘But for Khabib, I know it was because of his father passing away, and he made a promise to his mother. So, it’s different circumstances, but for those reasons, I think when you look at the resumes, even though he was undefeated, the resumes don’t really stack up.
Michael Bisping claims that the Dagestani should not be considered in the GOAT debate
The Brit says Nurmagomedov’s record ‘does not stack up with’ GSP (left) or Jon Jones (right)
‘I say that with tremendous respect to Khabib – far be it for me to downplay his career because I would never dream of doing that.’
Nurmagomedov retired from the sport as the UFC’s No 1 pound-for-pound fighter, with his position above Jones irking the former light heavyweight champion.
Jones defended his 205-pound title 11 times, to Khabib’s three, while GSP and Silva hold eight and 10 title defences respectively.
The Dagestani has taken to retirement with ease, and was spotted at Old Trafford and Anfield over the weekend for Manchester United’s draw with Everton and Liverpool’s thrilling game with Manchester City.
The Eagle has taken to life as a retired athlete, and was seen at Old Trafford last weekend
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