Ali Abdelaziz weighs in on the MMA GOAT debate: “Of course Jon Jones is a great fighter, but he could not tie the shoes of Khabib”

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s manager Ali Abdelaziz doesn’t believe Jon Jones is a leading contender in the GOAT debate.

The conversation surrounding who the ‘greatest of all time‘ is in mixed martial arts will likely be raging on for a long, long time to come. Everyone has their view on who should be at the top of the list with a handful of contenders popping up more often than others, with the main four from the UFC being Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre, Jon Jones and Khabib Nurmagomedov – although an argument could certainly be made for Demetrious Johnson, too.

Ali Abdelaziz, who has close ties to Khabib, had the following to say on the matter during a recent interview.

“The G.O.A.T. means inside the cage, outside the cage. Khabib never had close fight. You look at Jon Jones, his last three fights are very close fights. Khabib never even had a close fight. Dominance. Khabib is better. Undefeated. In many rounds Khabib is better. Outside the cage Khabib is better. Khabib never had issues with USADA. None of this stuff. Of course Jon Jones is great fighter, but he could not tie the shoes of Khabib. I don’t think he can. He’s good, but Khabib is on another level.”

“Many people you can say they’re GOATs. Georges St-Pierre, what a great human being. How can you not say he’s the GOAT … I’m not taking anything away from Jon Jones, but I don’t think he is. I can put Georges St-Pierre before him.”

Quotes via Sportskeeda

While Abdelaziz has a point regarding USADA, Jones’ fighting ability will likely overshadow that for many fans and pundits alike.

What are your thoughts on the greatest of all-time debate? Do you think Khabib Nurmagomedov deserves a seat at the table alongside Jon Jones, Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre?