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Former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley recently revealed his personal list of the top 10 MMA fighters of all time, but one notable name was left off.
During an appearance on BS w/ Jake Paul (h/t TMZ Sports), Woodley explained why Khabib Nurmagomedov, who retired with a perfect 29-0 record, didn’t make the cut.
“[Khabib] on my top 10 list? Probably not,” Woodley said. “I f–k with Khabib. I like him. I respect him a lot. I think he’s a good fighter. I think his type of fight for that weight class [lightweight], nobody could do that besides Sean Sherk back in the day, but like, he was just really aggressive, but I didn’t see the wrestler with good hands fight him so I couldn’t really jump on that train.”
The fighters that did make Woodley’s list included Georges St-Pierre, Jon Jones, Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson, Carlos Condit and Anderson Silva, who is fighting Jake Paul in a boxing match on Oct. 29.
Leaving Nurmagomedov off a top-10 list is baffling, considering that he’s universally regarded as the greatest lightweight fighter of all time. The Dagestani fighter was known for his relentless wrestling and his unmatched aggression. He claimed the UFC lightweight title in 2018 and successfully defended it three times before his retirement.
Nurmagomedov’s last three wins came against former interim or undisputed champions in Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje. The 34-year-old finished all three fights by submission.
After his win over Gaethje, Nurmagomedov said he didn’t wish to continue his career without his father Abdulmanap, who was also his head coach and died in 2020 after contracting COVID-19.
Since his retirement, Nurmagomedov has successfully transitioned to a coach for American Kickboxing Academy, which was his home gym during his career. His top pupil, Islam Makhachev, is scheduled to face Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight championship in the main event of UFC 280 on Oct. 22.
Nurmagomedov has also delved into the promoter game, launching Eagle Fighting Championships last year. The promotion’s most recent event was held on Aug. 21.
While Woodley doesn’t see Nurmagomedov as one of the top 10 fighters of all time, he is undoubtedly one of the few people to hold that opinion.
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