Khabib's list of UFC Greats is a stab at Conor

In a recent interview given to CBS sports, Khabib Nurmagomedov was asked about his own pound-for-pound list of great UFC fighters. In classic Khabib style he excluded himself from the list and referred to himself as “one of the best”. After Conor gave his list of UFC greats, it’s impossible not to know Khabib’s take on the subject. Even after the fight, people still pair up both fighters in every way.

In the world of sports, there always seem to be the loud mouth-flashy athlete vs the quiet humble-hard worker. Ali vs Frazer, Camacho vs Chavez, Ortiz vs Lidell and in this era Conor vs Khabib. The contrast of personalities always makes for compelling TV. We are drawn to the drama when there is animosity between two fighters. Complete opposite personalities sell tickets.

When Conor came up with his list of all time great fighters, he placed himself at #2 only behind Anderson Silva and above St-Pierre and Jon Jones. Noting, that he’s still an active fighter and that eventually, he would be in that #1 spot.

When asked by CBS sports, Khabib did not give a formal list of greatest fighters but rather a top-of-his-head list of what he considered the best. The names he mentioned are Jon Jones, Fedor, Anderson Silva, Demetrious Johnson, Henry Cejudo and his teammate DC. When asked if his goal was to retire as an undefeated champion and greatest of all time, he mentioned the names above as best candidates for the title of greatest and seemed not to give too much importance to include himself into the list.

In a way, he’s telling Conor, if I don’t place myself in the list of all time greats, neither should you.