Khabib Isn’t The All-Time Or Lightweight GOAT

The debate about former UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov’s legacy rages on.

Benson Henderson is not under the impression that fellow former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is the Greatest of All Time (GOAT).

Henderson (28-10) seeks to snap a losing streak when he meets former Bellator Lightweight champion Brent Primus at Bellator 268, taking place at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Ariz. on Sat., Sept. 16 via Showtime. The former UFC Lightweight champion is asked to name his top lightweight, not named Benson Henderson, active right now.

“No one sticks out head and shoulders above the other,” Henderson tells MMAMania.com. “I like Poirier. He’s really good, really tough. Good jiu-jitsu, good boxing. He can mix it up with some good Muay Thai as well. I’ll maybe say Poirier. He’s the first one who comes to mind.”

The question then shifts to where Khabib lands in the topics of

“Who cares about my opinion?” he prefaces his take. “But I’m not gonna put Khabib up there for the greatest ever of all time. You can maybe consider him one of the greats for 155, but as far as one of the greatest of all-time in all weight classes, nah. You might have to miss me on that one. That’s saying something. Greatest of all time, I think there are a good 10 or 15 above him. I’m one of those purists who is about longevity as well. Somebody who has been there and competed at the top level. Not somebody who is 35-0 but only has really 10 fights against the top-level guys.

“For me, B.J. Penn is the greatest lightweight of all time. He’s up there for one of the greatest fighters of all weight classes, period. All-time. He did it against the best in the world, at the time they were the best in the world. You can’t complain about he didn’t fight this guy or that guy. At the time that he was fighting, in his heyday, he was fighting the best in the world and he was putting them away. For me, B.J. is up there…”

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