Khabib Nurmagomedov names three fighters he wishes he fought before retiring
Khabib Nurmagomedov recently named three fighters he wishes he had fought before hanging up the gloves.
Nurmagomedov went through his entire mixed martial career undefeated. Twenty-nine men tried, but they all failed. Although retiring at the top of the sport with the UFC lightweight championship, there are still several names the Russian would have liked to face inside the octagon.
The 34-year-old is considered by many as the most dominant fighter in the sport’s history. The relentless pressure and suffocating approach earned Nurmagomedov notable victories over Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje, among others, on his run to become the lightweight champion.
The squeaky-clean career still has Nurmagomedov wondering what would have unfolded if he had tested his skills against three fighters that he never got the opportunity to do so. According to MMA Junkie, the three names are Tony Ferguson, George St-Pierre, and Anthony Pettis.
The curse of Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson in the UFC
Still, fans are left wondering what would have happened if the cage door was to close on Nurmagomedov and Ferguson. The pair were set to fight a staggering five times, but reasons on both parties prevented them from doing so. Out of the three names listed, Ferguson was at the top of the pile for the Dagestan native: “Of course, it was Tony Ferguson for sure.”
St-Pierre is considered the greatest mixed martial artist of all time and reigned at the top of the welterweight division for years. The Canadian-born athlete mirrored a similar style to Nurmagomedov, forcing their opposition to give up on themselves. The newly inducted hall-of-famer had nothing but praise for St-Pierre but would have enjoyed testing his skills against him.
“OK, GSP, if you guys want – but I respect this guy a lot. I grew up with his fights. When he became UFC Champion in 2007, I (hadn’t started) my professional career. I was an amateur fighter, and I watched a lot of his fights with my father. GSP was like a role model in MMA for me. If you guys want (that) fight, OK – let’s say GSP,” per MMA Junkie.
Pettis, who may surprise some, was once the man to beat at lightweight and always put on entertaining fights. Perhaps the reason Nurmagomedov wanted to fight him: “And I think it was 2014-15 when Anthony Pettis was UFC champion. (At) that time, I really, really wanted to fight this guy.”
If you had to pick one out of the three opponents listed by Khabib Nurmagomedov, who would you select? Let us know in the comments!
