UFC Legend Joe Rogan Reignites MMA GOAT Debate By Naming 'Probably The Best Candidate'

Joe Rogan has insisted that UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov is “probably the best candidate” for the status of MMA GOAT ahead of Jon Jones and Georges St-Pierre.

Khabib, 32, ended his illustrious fighting career in 2020 with a sensational second-round submission victory over Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 in Abu Dhabi.

The Eagle notched up an unblemished 29-0 record before announcing his shock retirement after his win over Gaethje.

Khabib later vacated the lightweight championship, despite UFC president Dana White’s plea for him to make a stunning U-turn on his retirement.

Rogan, who previously called the Russian superstar the ‘GOAT,’ hailed Khabib’s dominance inside the octagon and how he “barely lost a round.”

Speaking on The Joe Rogan Experience, he said: “Khabib Nurmagomedov is a very, very good candidate.

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“Because, in my opinion, Khabib is probably the best candidate because Khabib not only did he not lose a fight, [but] he barely lost a round.

“He lost maybe one round to Conor, and it seemed like he was just taking the round off, like to kind of, you know, preserve his energy, so he could finish Conor afterwards, and he did. He wound up finishing him.”

Rogan has also said in the past that MMA legend Demetrious Johnson was a “dazzling fighter” and the “best ever.”

However, the 54-year-old UFC legend has now argued that Khabib has “never been in trouble in a fight” and he is ‘arguably’ the best fighter in MMA history.

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Rogan explained: “Khabib has never been in trouble in a fight. Michael Johnson tagged him once, and Michael Johnson is a guy that doesn’t get nearly enough respect.

“Yeah, he’s had some rough losses, but Michael Johnson knocked out Dustin Poirier with one punch. Michael Johnson was a dangerous, dangerous man, and he still is.

“And he tagged Khabib, it probably had Khabib in the most trouble ever in a fight, he had him wobbled. But Khabib ultimately won that fight and destroyed him.

“I mean, he was pounding on him, he was telling him 'Quit now, quit now, you know I deserve the title shot,' beating it out of him and then put him in a kimura and tapped him. It’s arguable Khabib is the greatest of all time.’’

Topics: Joe Rogan, Khabib Nurmagomedov, UFC, MMA

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz is a journalist for SPORTbible. He studied for a B.A. in History at the University of York and followed it up with an M.A. in Multimedia Journalism at MMU. Before he started writing about sports, he spent over four years in the gaming press. He has worked for several publications, including Hardcore Gamer, LADbible and the Manchester Evening News. Follow him on Twitter to find out what he is working on next. Got a story tip for Adnan? Email him: [email protected]

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