3 Years After Retirement UFC Superstar Says Khabib Nurmagomedov ‘Didn’t Really Do It’ Like Israel Adesanya

Khabib Nurmagomedov, the man from Dagestan, had an incredible run in the world’s leading MMA promotion UFC. He is often mentioned among the greatest fighters of all time because of his perfect 29-0 MMA record. Sadly, the former lightweight champion retired from professional fighting after his last successful title defense in 2020. ‘The Eagle’ has won over elite fighters, including Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and more. However, his early retirement seems given people a point to cast doubts about his legacy.

That being said, UFC bantamweight star Sean O’Malley discussed the same. He even claimed that champions like Israel Adesanya and Alexander Volkanovski have a better run in the promotion than Nurmagomedov.

Sean O’Malley compares Israel Adesanya to Khabib Nurmagomedov

Despite having a few losses on his resume, middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has had a great run in the UFC. He has multiple times proved his superstar quality with exceptional fighting style and a charismatic persona.

With his recent victory over Alex Pereira at UFC 287, Adesanya has defeated almost every fighter from the top five of the division. Talking about the same on his YouTuber channel, O’Malley lauded the middleweight champ. O’Malley said:

“Adesanya has beat every single middleweight in the top five currently. That’s gangster…It’s another division. There’s no real heavy grapplers, heavy wrestlers, besides Bo Nickal, but he’s a little way out from the title. How long’s it been since somebody took over the game that long? Khabib didn’t really do it. Volk maybe? Volk and Izzy are taking over the game.” 

Adesanya vs. Nurmagomedov: A brief comparison

It is clearly very difficult to compare both the entities given the weight class and fighting style difference. Adesanya is known for his powerful, striking prowess. Meanwhile, Nurmagomedov is considered of the dominant grapplers of all time.

The only difference between the two is that Nurmagomedov has a perfect record with no losses. Meanwhile, ‘The Last Stylebender’ has lost twice in MMA. However, the middleweight star has an upper hand in terms of title defenses.

Ultimately, it comes down to personal preferences. ‘The Eagle’ has dominated some of the top contenders in his career. However, his early retirement will always be used by his naysayers to question his legacy.

Regardless of that, both Adesanya and Nurmagomedov have contributed a lot to the sport. They have also established a benchmark against which future fighters will be measured.

Who do you guys think had a better run Nurmagomedov or Adesanya? What are your thoughts on O’Malley’s comparison?