John McCarthy lays out why Khabib Nurmagomedov is not the GOAT: ‘He did retire too early’

John McCarthy does not believe Khabib Nurmagomedov is the greatest mixed martial artist of all time.

Big John, one of the most reputed MMA officials, agrees with UFC president Dana White that the former lightweight champion can not be called the GOAT. Khabib had a dominant run in the promotion for as long as it lasted, maintaining an unblemished record of 29-0 by the time he chose to hang up the gloves.

John McCarthy agrees with Dana White that Khabib is not the GOAT

In an episode of his podcast with Josh Thompson, McCarthy shared his thoughts on the GOAT debate and extended his support for Dana White’s take.

“I don’t disagree with him at all [Dana White claiming Khabib isn’t the MMA GOAT]. I think that he did retire too early. I’ve always said the most dominant fighter I’ve seen in the cage has been Khabib. He dominated great fighters, 10-8 rounds, consistently at times, [but] Jon Jones is the most talented fighter that I’ve seen in the cage,” McCarthy noted (h/t Sportskeeda).

Khabib never appeared to be in any real danger in any of his fights. Jones on the other hand might have had close bouts but also has a ton more experience inside the cage at the highest level.

“Here’s the big difference: Jon Jones has had 15 title fights. How many title fights does Khabib have? That’s a huge difference, and I think that’s what Dana is talking about. I think Jon Jones is [the best ever],” McCarthy added.

Although Khabib retired undefeated, many believe that he stepped away too soon. With 13 bouts and only three title defenses in the organization, it is hard to stack up his resume against someone like Jones, who has more title fights (15) than Khabib’s entire UFC career.

Do you agree with John McCarthy?