The greatest fighter of all time has long been a source of debate in the MMA world. During such a conversation, three names frequently come up: Khabib Nurmagomedov, Jon Jones, and Georges St-Pierre. While many debate who is the greatest of these three, a former UFC champion, in a recent episode of Bradley Martyn’s Raw Talk, noticed a fascinating feature shared by the UFC greats that has helped shape them into what they are today.
Nurmagomedov, Jones, and GSP all have a stellar professional MMA resume. With their long reign of dominance in the sport, they have left their imprints in the history books of combat sports.
As a result, they are frequently used as a criterion to evaluate aspiring athletes. In addition, many MMA athletes study the strategies they employed to advance their own careers.
Ex-UFC champ talks about Khabib Nurmagomedov, Jon Jones, and GSP’s common trait
As previously said, many UFC fighters study Nurmagomedov, Jones, and GSP in order to enhance their own careers. Similarly, former UFC champion Aljamain Sterling seems to have spotted one such common trait shared by these MMA greats.
Sterling recently appeared on Bradley Martyn’s Raw Talk YouTube channel, where he had a thorough conversation about various aspects of MMA, including the champion mindset, with bodybuilding influencer, Bradley Martyn, and fellow bantamweight fighter Merab Dvalishvili.
During the conversation, Sterling mentioned how the mindset of great fighters like Nurmagomedov, Jones, GSP, and Demetrious Johnson helped them reign their division for years. He said:
“Like Khabib (Nurmagomedov), even though he has been hurt a lot, even though he has been out a lot, Jon Jones. A lot of those guys who have been- GSP, Mighty Mouse. Guys who have been able to stay on the top for years. It’s not easy, man. And I respect those guys. Because the mental fortitude to be able to balance that to still win. It’s not easy. It takes a special individual to be able to go to that grind.”
Talking about the greatest MMA fighter debate, even former UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov gave his list of the top 15 greatest MMA fighters of all time a few months back. However, his list was not well received by many.
Nurmagomedov’s list of Top 15
In April 2023, the UFC Hall of Famer released his top 15 MMA GOATS on Twitter. On his list, he featured some of the most renowned and well-known fighters. Israel Adesanya, Kamaru Usman, Anderson Silva, and Jon Jones were all in the top ten.
Nurmagomedov’s list, however, was questioned for various reasons. One in particular was omitting his rival and former dual-weight UFC champion Conor McGregor.
Chael Sonnen, a former UFC fighter turned pundit, criticized ‘The Eagle’ on his YouTube channel for the same reason. He also presented compelling arguments for why McGregor should have been included on the list. Nurmagomedov’s feud with McGregor, however, may have been a factor he never considered the Irishman to be on the list.
