"I hate to see him retire in his prime" - Sean O'Malley explains why Kamaru Usman could surpass Khabib Nurmagomedov on the MMA GOAT list

Sean O’Malley has suggested that UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman could surpass former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov on the MMA GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) list.

‘Sugar’ noted that Kamaru Usman has been defeating better opponents than Khabib Nurmagomedov did. O’Malley also highlighted that Nurmagomedov retired in his prime, whereas Usman is still going strong.

In an interview with RT Sport MMA, UFC bantamweight star Sean O’Malley opened up on multiple topics. One of the questions posed to him was regarding Khabib Nurmagomedov’s place on the MMA GOAT list. Alluding to Nurmagomedov’s early retirement, O’Malley stated:

“It’s a good question. I don’t want to have the wrong answer. I guess there’s not a wrong answer, but I don’t wanna, you know, Khabib’s a legend.” O’Malley continued, “I hate to see him retire in his prime. Look at Jose Aldo right now, and he’s reinventing himself; winning fights, big fights. And I think it’s Khabib’s opinion. It’s his decision, what he wants to do. So, I don’t think anyone should pressure anyone into doing something that they don’t want to do. If he doesn’t want to fight anymore, we should all accept that."

"But does it play a role in GOAT status? Potentially; I guess everyone’s opinion is going to be different. Mine doesn’t really matter. But, I mean, he’s definitely up there. He’s definitely up there. I think Kamaru Usman’s beating better guys than Khabib beat. And Kamaru’s still going. So, I think he’s probably gonna pass him potentially. Yeah, I don’t know. Khabib’s a legend, though.”

Sean O’Malley is scheduled to face Raulian Paiva in a three-round bantamweight bout at UFC 269 on December 11th. Meanwhile, Khabib Nurmagomedov retired from MMA in October 2020 and has consistently maintained that he doesn’t plan to return to professional MMA competition.

Watch Sean O’Malley’s interview with RT in the video below:

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Kamaru Usman could face the toughest test of his dominant MMA career against Khamzat Chimaev in 2022

Reigning UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman went 3-0 in 2021. The pound-for-pound king has beaten most of the top-tier UFC welterweights, some of them twice. He now appears set for another rematch.

Kamaru Usman is likely to defend his title in a rematch against Leon Edwards in early 2022. Furthermore, many believe that MMA wunderkind Khamzat Chimaev currently presents the biggest stylistic threat to Usman.

Chimaev's a grappling savant with terrifying KO power. The undefeated 27-year-old fighter is likely just one win away from a title fight in 2022. Whether or not Kamaru Usman can defeat ‘Borz’ in their much-awaited dream matchup remains to be seen.