KEY POINTS

  • Former UFC champ Khabib Nurmagomedov talked about the greatest fighters of all time
  • Nurmagomedov put B.J. Penn next to him in the lightweight GOAT list
  • UFC president Dana White is certain Nurmagomedov doesn't want to make a return at the moment

Khabib Nurmagomedov is certain about who the next best lightweight fighter in history is after himself.

It has been almost a year since Nurmagomedov last stepped inside the octagon. However, many are still convinced that none of the current lightweight fighters across all promotions can dethrone him as the “GOAT.”

Speaking to the media in a recent event overseas, “The Eagle” was asked to name who is behind him in the lightweight GOAT list. For Nurmagomedov, it was former UFC two-division champion B.J. Penn who ticked all the boxes.

“I think the impersonation of the lightweight division was BJ Penn for a long time,” Nurmagomedov explained. “I can explain. Despite many defeats (in the latter part of his career), [Penn] won the lightweight title, defended it and also moved up to welterweight and won the belt there.”

“Then he had lost to one of the best fighters ever, George St-Pierre,” he continued. “So for me, BJ Penn, I think we can put him there.”

Indeed, Penn is widely regarded as one of the greatest fighters of all time. In fact, his reign as both welterweight and lightweight champ at the same time is still among the most remarkable feats in UFC history.

Nurmagomedov, on the other hand, remained undefeated until his official retirement in October last year. His three consecutive UFC lightweight title defenses matched those of the previous record-holders Penn and Benson Henderson.

Khabib Nurmagomedov
Khabib Nurmagomedov is known for mauling his opponents on the ground. In this picture, Nurmagomedov (top) throws a punch at Al Iaquinta (bottom) during their UFC lightweight championship bout at UFC 223 at Barclays Center in New York City on April 7, 2018. Ed Mulholland/Getty Images

Enamored by Nurmagomedov’s accomplishments in the UFC, the promotion’s president Dana White immediately hailed him as the greatest fighter of all time.

“He is one of the toughest human beings on the planet and he is just the No 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world,” White said of Nurmagomedov last year. "And seriously, you have to start putting him up there at GOAT status with whoever else you think is the GOAT."

The current UFC lightweight division is still stacked with an array of world-class fighters such as Justin Gaethje, Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier. Hence, almost all of them are fancying a superfight with Nurmagodemov.

However, according to White, Nurmagomedov has told him to accept the fact that he’s a cut above the rest and there’s nothing more to prove at this point.

"I did talk to Khabib,” White told reporters after UFC 257. “And he said to me, 'Dana, be honest with yourself. I'm so many levels above these guys. I beat these guys.' I don't know. But it doesn't sound very positive. We'll see."

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