Khabib Nurmagomedov Feels He Deserves To Be Pound-For-Pound Best
Following his dominant win over Dustin Poirier at UFC 242, Khabib Nurmagomedov feels he should be regarded as the pound-for-pound best fighter in the sport.
Nurmagomedov defended his lightweight title with a third-round submission victory over Poirier to take his record to 28-0. Leading up to the event on Saturday, “The Eagle” was ranked No. 2 in the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings just behind light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.
However, Nurmagomedov believes given his record and overall dominance in the sport, he should be the one at the top:
“You know what’s interesting in this sport,” Nurmagomedov said at the UFC 242 post fight press conference (via MMA Fighting). “Even if you’re 28-0, 12-0 in the UFC, you’re one of the biggest stars, you smash everybody, people are going to talk about you ‘have to fight him, you have to fight with him, you have to fight with him’ — give me just respect.
“Put me on No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter next week because I think I deserve this. Because I dominate with all my opponents. I’m undefeated. I think I deserve some respect.”
It’s hard to argue against Nurmagomedov’s logic. However, some still feel Jones should reign supreme at the top given his longevity and quality of opponents.
What’s for sure is it’ll be interesting to see what the new UFC rankings are next week.
Do you think Nurmagomedov should be No. 1? Or does he still have some work to do before overtaking Jones?
