“Khabib could talk to Jones.” Dana White did not include Nurmagomedov in UFC top 5 – we recorded Kamil Gadzhiev’s reaction

In an interview with GQ, Dana White answered a question about the top five fighters in UFC history. The list was: Jon Jones (26-1), Ronda Rousey (12-2), Conor McGregor (22-6), Georges St-Pierre (26-2) and Anderson Silva (34-11). Khabib didn’t make the top five, and even English publications focused on that. Khabib remains the only champion in UFC history to never lose a fight in his career. We spoke about White’s choice with Russia’s leading MMA industry expert Kamil Hajiyev:

– He [Дэйна Уайт] made an important reservation that many people could be included. If you look at this list and imagine that we are going to remove someone and put Khabib there… Of course, Khabib is closer to us Russians, both as a fighter, as a person and in terms of ‘legacy. Because his legacy in Russia is huge. But, for example, in America, Khabib is probably no taller than John Jones. If you take North America, no more than Georges St. Pierre; in Europe – no bigger than Conor. The wife, Ronda Rousey, should also be on this list. For Brazil – Anderson Silva. I think Khabib could compete with Jon Jones on this list. But it’s likely that Dana supports Jon Jones’ decision to continue and doesn’t support Khabib’s decision to end.

– And why is it Jones who loses – failed doping tests?

– I think there are a number of factors why Jones loses to these four. Even if we are not talking about Khabib. There are a lot of negative actions: I got caught on cocaine, drunk driving, but you have to see the person as complex. And he didn’t set the best example. Also, at the moment, it was clear that Jon Jones didn’t have the best level of opposition. The fights with Cormier are cool, but there were fights where it was 100% obvious he would win. And he’s still an active fighter, he can still lose. And again, if he does well at heavyweight, they can change again.

McGregor gave the UFC a European following and a premium following in the United States, but you can tell Khabib is not only Russia and CIS, but also the Middle East.

– Yes, but it is generally accepted that the growth of Khabib’s popularity is associated with Conor, and not vice versa. And it is a fact. Who is the best as a fighter? I think it’s definitely Khabib. But who was more famous when they fought? Certainly Conor. It is not a question of choosing between Europe and the Arab world. It’s just impossible not to include Conor in this list because Conor completely changed the game. He fundamentally changed MMA. Thanks to him, a large number of people came to MMA as fans. Whether I like it or not, it really is a legend. I think if they choose the fighter of the century, it could be Conor. Yes, it had various issues, but it’s still not the same scale.

– What should Khabib do to unconditionally remove someone from the list?

– Even if there was another defense, Dana would still say it [как сейчас]. Probably, Khabib should come back, and if Oliveira beats Islam Makhachev, Oliveira beats. But Oliveira will not win against Makhachev, as I think. Therefore, Khabib will have no reason to return. Everything is very complicated here, we will not judge Dana harshly. Maybe he’s trolling Khabib a bit, because he’s a player after all. I would also point out that if you choose a candidate between Kamaru Usman and Khabib, then it is definitely Khabib. As long as it is.

– Don’t you think White has a bit of jealousy and irritation, because Khabib, albeit formally, has gone from a fighter to a competitor, holding his tournaments in the United States?

I don’t think it’s an irritation. Still, we cannot yet seriously say that Eagle FC is in competition with the UFC. Maybe he’s a little touched by the fact that Khabib parted ways. This happens very rarely. There is such a thing that a fighter no longer shoots, it finally happened, and that’s it. And Khabib left when he was in his prime. This fact may disturb Dana a little.

– And if you imagine you have to pick the top five fighters in Fight Nights history. Hard?

– Exactly Vladimir Mineev and Magomed Ismailov. Although Maga only fought with us three times, but what a mark he left! And that’s just a couple. Again, we only take MMA. With a high probability, it is Vitalik Minakov. We don’t take Alexander Shlemenko, because after all he was never a Fight Nights fighter, he fought in a lot of places.

– You can nominate Sergey Pavlovich, especially if he wins the UFC title. We can say that he took his place as a fighter with us. I would also name Ali Bagautinov – he played with us, then he was one of the first in the UFC, fought there for the title, came back to us again. And by the way, I would call Nariman Abbasov a phenomenon in Fight Nights. His fights were very loud, interesting. Therefore, he may not reach the heights that Serega Pavlovich will reach in the UFC, but in Fight Nights he made a number of very cool fights. And Seryoga ended up in the UFC when he could have had really big defenses here. Although, I repeat, Sergey made the right choice.