"He come and smesh him" - When Khabib Nurmagomedov put Tyson Fury's legendary status above Jon Jones'

Khabib Nurmagomedov once ranked Tyson Fury's legacy above the likes of Jon Jones, due to 'The Gypsy King' taking risks throughout his career.

Back in 2020, Nurmagomedov was preparing to face Justin Gaethje in what proved to be his last fight under the UFC banner. The legendary lightweight went on to win via a second-round submission and called time on his career with a stunning 29-0 professional record.

Ahead of the bout against Gaethje, 'The Eagle' spoke to ESPN MMA's Brett Okamoto and discussed his legacy in the fight game as well as others in the sport. It was during this interview that Nurmagomedov made the bold claim that he considered Tyson Fury's legacy in boxing to be better than Jones' in MMA, due to the risks Fury has taken throughout his career.

At the time, Fury had just defeated Deontay Wilder in a rematch following their controversial draw in 2018, and Jones had defended his light heavyweight title in a close bout against Dominick Reyes.

According to Nurmagomedov, Tyson Fury's legacy is more impressive than Jones' due to the calibre of fights he has taken:

"Jon Jones, last three fights he fights guys who have what? three or four win streak? If you want to build yourself to a legend you have to take risks...For example, Tyson Fury why he became big? He fight Klitschko and beat him, then he fight Wilder and draw, then he fight him again and beat him...he dominate him, he come and smesh him...You have to take challenge."

Catch Nurmagomedov's comments here (1:15):

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Khabib Nurmagomedov reacts to Alexander Volkanovski's loss at UFC 294

UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov recently heaped praise on Alexander Volkanovski for stepping in on short notice to face Islam Makhachev.

'The Great' accepted the fight on just over a week's notice and the pair met inside the octagon for the main-event in Abu Dhabi, a rematch of their Fight of the Year contender bout at UFC 284.

After a close first contest earlier this year, the second fight was anything but as Makhachev finished the Australian in the first-round with a stunning head kick knockout to retain the lightweight title.

Following the event, Nurmagomedov took to Instagram and expressed the respect he and Makhachev have for Volkanovski. He wrote:

“We respect Alex so much and wish him all the best. He is a very nice man and great champion with big heart.”

Check out the Instagram story here:

Khabib Nurmagomedov's Instagram story