Choosing who deserves pole position on an MMA Mount Rushmore often leaves fans with one of a few options.
For many, the clear choice for the GOAT of the sport is Jon Jones who after becoming the heavyweight champion, further cemented his legacy.
Joe Rogan shares the opinion that Jones is the greatest to ever do it but there are other names who achieved incredible things at the top of the sport.
The likes of Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva and Demetrious Johnson all rank for both their performances and the longevity of their success.
For Rafael Fiziev, who returns at UFC 313 to face Justin Gaethje in a rematch, there is one other box to tick which he believes separates one nominee from the others.
Rafael Fiziev names Khabib Nurmagomedov as his greatest of all time
In a recent interview with TNT Sports on UFC 313 fight week, Rafael Fiziev was asked to give quickfire answers to some big topics.
The very first question that ‘Ataman’ was faced with was picking who he believes is the greatest of all time in MMA and his answer was somewhat surprising.
Though many believe that Jon Jones should have an undefeated record because his one loss was a controversial disqualification for a rule that is no longer enforced, there is only one great champion who left the sport without ever tasting defeat.
Khabib Nurmagomedov did not have the same vast title reign as some of the other names that are in contention for most people but whilst he may fall behind in some statistics, there is one that Fiziev believes makes this an easy selection.
With three defenses of the UFC lightweight title under his belt, ‘The Eagle’ decided to retire following the passing of his father and coach, walking away from the Octagon with a perfect record of 29-0.
That one fact alone, for Fiziev, puts Nurmagomedov into a bracket of his own.
“The guy who never lost, the one guy. It’s Khabib.”
Rafael Fiziev names Justin Gaethje vs Max Holloway as the best fight and knockout he’s seen
Later on in the quickfire questions, Rafael Fiziev was asked to name the best fight he has ever seen and the best knockout with both of his answers coming from the same iconic clash at UFC 300.
Justin Gaethje and Max Holloway’s encounter for the BMF title last year was always going to deliver an entertaining contest but even with high expectations, it blew them out of the water.
Holloway produced one of the most breath-taking knockouts in UFC history by faceplanting ‘The Highlight’ in the final seconds of the fight.
At UFC 313 on March 8, Gaethje looks to get back in the win column when he makes his return in a late notice rematch with Fiziev who he narrowly got the better of at UFC 286.