Retired and former undisputed UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has named his pick for the pound-for-pound best fighter on the planet.

Once a pound for pound king himself, Khabib knows exactly what it takes to become the absolute best of the best.

As one of the most experienced and successful fighters to ever take to an Octagon, people sit up and listen when Khabib speaks so his take on the pound for pound battle certainly carries weight.

Jon Jones currently sits top of the UFC rankings but that is not enough for Khabib.

On Sunday, he posted a picture  on Instagram of himself with Kamaru Usman with the accompanying caption: "With p4p best fighter in the World @usman84kg at #cytaka event in Dubai."

The Welterweight champion has been on an 18-fight winning steak and is one of the hottest superstars in the UFC right now.

The Nigerian-born American has been on fire since dethroning Tyron Woodley as 170lb king in March 2019, picking up impressive wins over Colby Covington, Jorge Masvidal and Gilbert Burns.

UFC hall of famer, Georges St-Pierre agrees with Khabib recently telling Bleacher Report: “I think Usman, right now, is the best pound-for-pound.

“In terms of performance, I think he’s one of the best right now and he’s an active competitor.”

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Nurmagomedov, who topped the ranking following his victory over Justin Gaethje, defended his position whilst talking with ESPN.

"For me, it’s like, 30-0, 29-0, or 15-0, it’s nothing. I fight and I showed the world. And from nowhere, I came here and took all of everything.

"At that moment, I was the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter. This, nobody can say nothing.

"It was not Kamaru Usman, it was not Jon Jones, who fights very close fights with all these light heavyweights like Ovince Saint Preux, like Thiago (Santos), Anthony Smith, Dominick Reyes.

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"These guys, [Jones] showed versus them very bad performances, and everything that happened with doping. But what about me? I was mauling everybody.”

Usman is currently preparing for a grudge match with bitter rival Covington, in which will be a rematch in the main event of UFC 268 in New York.

The pair are on course to renew their rivalry at Madison Square Garden on November 6, although New York's imminent vaccine mandate for indoor events has probably put that on hold.

Jones, meanwhile, is set to make his return to the octagon next year due to an ongoing pay dispute with the UFC brass.