Khabib Nurmagomedov’s coach Javier Mendez has ripped into the idea that Charles Oliveira is the lightweight GOAT.
For the longest time now, and especially since his retirement, Khabib Nurmagomedov has been recognised as one of the greatest fighters of all time. ‘The Eagle’ walked away from the sport of mixed martial arts with an incredible 29-0 record, beating some of the very best that the UFC had to offer along the way.
His final stretch of finishes over Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje will go down as a historic period for the 155-pound division, and it’ll be hard to find anyone who can argue against that.
In equal measure, of course, there’s always going to be someone else who wants to lay claim to the ‘GOAT’ title - especially at lightweight.
Read more: UFC 254 news: Justin Gaethje reveals what he told Khabib Nurmagomedov after losing fight
Right now, the man who is making the best case out of anyone is Charles Oliveira.
The Brazilian sensation has been on the run of his career in the last few years with wins over Kevin Lee, Tony Ferguson, Michael Chandler, Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje vaulting him to championship status.
This has led to quite the debate emerging regarding the comparisons between ‘Do Bronx’ and Khabib, but according to Javier Mendez, there shouldn’t even be a discussion.
Video: Javier Mendez rejects Charles Oliveira as lightweight GOAT
“Well, for me, I’m sorry, but I don’t put Charles there at all. How many losses does he have? How many rounds has he lost? How many times has he been dropped? Tell me any one of those things that’s happened to Khabib.
“No one has touched him. The guy that hit Khabib the best ever was Michael Johnson. Other than that, Justin Gaethje hit him with a shot, didn’t hurt him, Barboza hit him with a beautiful kick, didn’t phase him at all, but where has he lost a round? Where has he not dominated?
“Charles has had to come from behind how many times? How many losses does he have? So, for me, I don’t look at that as putting him in the GOAT discussion. I don’t care how many title defences you have, you’ve had problems.”
“If you wanna say gutsy, great champion, yes, but you’re talking all time? For me, all time is someone that’s never been touched.”
Proving a point
If Charles Oliveira wants to prove himself on a big stage, there’s no better way to do so than by defeating Javier Mendez’s new golden pupil Islam Makhachev next month at UFC 280.
Read more: UFC 280: Date, Fight Card, Location, Tickets and more
The two will meet with the UFC lightweight title on the line and even though some see Charles as the underdog, others believe he’s being criminally underrated.