Like other sports, MMA has also been a subject of ongoing GOAT discussions for years. Many fans, fighters, and pundits have joined the debate by sharing their opinions. Former UFC lightweight champion and #1 PFP fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov also joined the bracket by sharing his top 15 MMA GOATS in April 2023 on Twitter. However, this list irked many fans and fighters, including UFC legend Chael Sonnen. On his YouTube channel, ‘The American Gangster’ specifically highlighted that the Dagestani had left his fierce rival Conor McGregor out of the esteemed list.
The Irishman is one of the greatest fighters to grace the octagon. Moreover, McGregor also once held the record for the fastest knockout in the promotion and 2x UFC titles. Considering all of his accomplishments, Sonnen believed that ‘The Eagle’ should have added ‘The Notorious’ to the list.
Chael Sonnen slams Khabib Nurmagomedov for omitting Conor McGregor
Former UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen is a veteran of the sport. Moreover, even after his retirement, the UFC legend has not left the sport completely and shares his analysis of fights and fighters on his YouTube channel.
In a recent video, ‘The American Gangster’ touched upon the Dagestani’s top 15 GOATS and revealed his issue with it. While talking about Conor McGregor, Sonnen said:
“But why isn’t Conor on here? Conor McGregor literally trademarked the phrase champ-champ. Now I find that hilarious because he was a champ-champ-champ. I watched him beat Eddie [Alvarez], I watched him beat Aldo, I watched him beat Mendes…. It was the Interim belt. But if you’re bagging about a 45 and a 55, those are just words why would interim, why would it not make the list? Conor McGregor won so many world championships, he forgot to trademark one of them. He should be on the top 15 somewhere.“
Nurmagomedov had included some of the most celebrated and established fighters on his list. The likes of Israel Adesanya, Kamaru Usman, Anderson Silva, and Jon Jones all made the top 10. However, the Dagestani’s decision to omit McGregor might be deeply connected to their rivalry, which created one of the most famous UFC fights.
The rivalry between McGregor and Nurmagomedov
The rivalry between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor began when the Irishman was awarded a title shot before the Dagestani in 2016. ‘The Eagle’ first blamed UFC for handing over the title shot to McGregor and then came after ‘The Notorious’ to set up a title fight.
They were finally set to fight at UFC 229 in 2018. In the lead-up to the bout, McGregor brought up Nurmagomedov’s character, family, and background while trash-talking. However, the Dagestani responded inside the octagon with his dominant performance against the Irishman.
Despite winning the fight back in 2018, Nurmagomedov has claimed that the bitterness in their rivalry will never end. Likewise, McGregor has not stopped targeting the Russian star.
Most recently, he fired shots at ‘The Eagle’ after the Dagestani’s announced his documentary along with UFC. This proves that the Irishman and the Russian-based fighter have not squashed their beef and still continue to hold animosity towards each other.
