MMA WeeklyGeorges St-Pierre heaps praise upon Khabib: ‘as perfect as you can get’
UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov put on one of the most spectacular performances of his career at UFC 254 on Saturday night. Then he retired. Khabib was masterful on the feet, on the ground, and in his ring generalship in the UFC 254 headliner opposite Justin Gaethje. He could hardly have been any better, and he didn't need to be. Khabib put Gaethje to sleep in the second round. Following the death of his father over the summer, unbeknownst to even his coach Javier Mendez, Khabib promised his mother that this would be his final fight. He made good on that promise, declaring his retirement in the Octagon in his post-fight interview. Fighters came out of the woodwork to praise him. Even rival Conor McGregor had good words to say to Khabib. Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones argued against people claiming Khabib was the greatest fighter of all time, but still heaped his praise upon him. One of the more notable praises came from another fighter that many consider the GOAT, Georges St-Pierre. St-Pierre was the longtime UFC welterweight champion. Perhaps the most dominant welterweight fighter in UFC history. He also returned to the Octagon following several years on the sidelines to take the middleweight strap from Michael Bisping. He knows a thing or two about greatness, and he found it easy to heap praise upon Khabib. "Congratulations to Khabib Nurmagomedov for his amazing performance last night and a career as perfect as you can get as an athlete!" https://twitter.com/GeorgesStPierre/status/1320395859700449281?s=20 TRENDING > Jon Jones bites back at Khabib Nurmagomedov being called the UFC’s GOAT Trending Video > Fellow fighters praise Khabib Nurmagomedov following retirement bout (Subscribe to MMAWeekly.com on YouTube)
MMA WeeklyJon Jones bites back at Khabib Nurmagomedov being called the UFC’s GOAT
There are many ways to look at the career that Khabib Nurmagomedov has had, but nearly anyone can agree that it has been spectacular. Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones doesn't disagree with those that say Khabib has had an outstanding, even dominant career. What he does disagree with is those that are now calling him the Greatest of All Time. Even UFC president Dana White, following Khabib's submission victory over Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 on Saturday, called Khabib the "baddest motherf---er on the planet." Of course, there probably is some "recency bias" as UFC commentator Jon Anik acknowledged, but that plays a part in what is being argued: GOAT status or official pound-for-pound ranking. "The pressure that Khabib puts on you is unbelievable. Literally didn’t respect his punching power. Just walked right into everything and did what he wanted. "Then the second round, he keeps the pressure on. For that submission, he locks it up, gets it and chokes him out. Unbelievable," White continued. "He is the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world, and you seriously have to start putting him up there at GOAT status with whoever else you think is the GOAT." That's actually an important distinction that White made. While there is an official men's and a women's pound-for-pound UFC ranking, it is not synonymous with being the GOAT, though both are highly subjective. The pound-for-pound ranking lumps all weight classes together, listing the top fighters at any given point in time. The GOAT status is more of a career retrospective ranking. For instance, officially retired UFC fighters are not listed in the pound-for-pound rankings. Randy Couture, Georges St-Pierre, Chuck Liddell, Matt Hughes, and any other number of highly regarded fighters are not available for ranking. Only fighters currently under contract are available to be considered the current best pound-for-pound fighter. There is no official GOAT ranking. Who is thought of as the GOAT is simply a water cooler or bar top discussion that people have on their own. But in the same vein, Jones has every reason to have the "water cooler" discussion on Twitter with other fighters, pundits, and fans, to make his case for being the GOAT, while still respecting what Khabib has achieved. Here's how Jon Jones compared his career vs. that of Khabib Nurmagomedov https://twitter.com/JonnyBones/status/1320105484074905600?s=20 https://twitter.com/JonnyBones/status/1320107090375966720?s=20 https://twitter.com/JonnyBones/status/1320114523320111104?s=20 https://twitter.com/JonnyBones/status/1320114890086887424?s=20 https://twitter.com/JonnyBones/status/1320115622341038080?s=20 https://twitter.com/JonnyBones/status/1320235231081721856?s=20 https://twitter.com/JonnyBones/status/1320236710433714176?s=20 https://twitter.com/JonnyBones/status/1320241288336134144?s=20 https://twitter.com/JonnyBones/status/1320242137481371648?s=20 https://twitter.com/JonnyBones/status/1320245319469133825?s=20 https://twitter.com/JonnyBones/status/1320246368728801281?s=20 https://twitter.com/JonnyBones/status/1320247819957989376?s=20 https://twitter.com/JonnyBones/status/1320248398625214470?s=20 https://twitter.com/JonnyBones/status/1320249146096283648?s=20 https://twitter.com/JonnyBones/status/1320250654950977536?s=20 https://twitter.com/JonnyBones/status/1320251950961602560?s=20 https://twitter.com/JonnyBones/status/1320253759830716416?s=20 https://twitter.com/JonnyBones/status/1320256511466115072?s=20 https://twitter.com/JonnyBones/status/1320260117711917056?s=20 TRENDING > Khabib Nurmagomedov issues his first statement following UFC 254 victory and retirement Related Video > Fighters react to Khabib's surprise UFC 254 retirement (Subscribe to MMAWeekly.com on YouTube)
MMA WeeklyKhabib Nurmagomedov announces retirement in emotional UFC 254 Octagon Interview
An emotional Khabib Nurmagomedov announced his retirement following his UFC 254 win over Justin Gaethje on Saturday. "The Eagle" defeated Gaethje by triangle choke in the second round of the fight card's main event. During his post-fight interview, the 32-year-old explained his decision to retire. Nurmagomedov's fighting resume will stand with an unblemished record of 29-0. His career spanned 12 years from 2012 to 2020. (Courtesy of UFC) TRENDING > Khabib Nurmagomedov issues his first statement following UFC 254 victory and retirement Related Video > Fighters react to Khabib's surprise UFC 254 retirement (Subscribe to MMAWeekly.com on YouTube)
