"He pulled a Barry Sanders", "Gleison Tibau arguably beat him" - Fans give Ali Abdelaziz grief for "Khabib Nurmagomedov IS THE GOAT" claim

Ali Abdelaziz, manager for retired UFC champ Khabib Nurmagomedov, sparked a heated debate online after claiming the Dagestani fighter as the 'GOAT' in MMA.

His social media post also aimed at Baseball legend Barry Bonds, implying his exclusion from the Hall of Fame due to steroid use weakens his claims to greatness while simultaneously highlighting 'The Eagle's undefeated record.

Abdelaziz listed the following as evidence for the GOAT title:

“Barry Bonds never got inducted into the Hall of Fame because he cheated, @TeamKhabib IS THE GOAT 1) Never been Knocked down 2) Never have a black eye after the fight 3) Never have a cut or stitches during the fight 4) Lost 1 round in his whole career”

Check out Abdelaziz's post claiming Khabib Nurmagomedov is the MMA GOAT:

He further challenged UFC CEO Dana White's stance on Jon Jones being the MMA GOAT:

"Dana most of the time is right about a lot of things, but h is wrong on this one."

Fans flooded the comments section, dissecting the manager's claims critically. Some pointed out Khabib's limited elite-level competition throughout his career, comparing his retirement at the peak to NFL legend Barry Sanders' early retirement, implying the Dagestani avoided tougher competition later in his career.

“He fought only 5 guys worth mentioning tho… he was good… but he pulled a Barry Sanders.”

Another referenced the controversial fight against Gleison Tibau at UFC 248, where many believed the Brazilian was the rightful winner.

"Gleison Tibau arguably beat him"

The discussion then shifted to Jon Jones' record. Fans highlighted JOnes' numerous title defenses surpassing Khabib's total UFC wins. Comparisons were drawn between the competition faced by each fighter, with some arguing that Jones fought a higher caliber opponent throughout his career in two weight divisions.

"Jon Jones has more title wins than Khabib has in the UFC, case closed."

Check out some of the fan reactions below:

Fans react to Ali Abdelaziz's post mentioning Khabib Nurmagomedov as the MMA GOat

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A.J McKee claims statistical parity with MMA legends Jon Jones and Khabib Nurmagomedov

A.J. McKee, the former Bellator featherweight champ, has boldly inserted himself into the heated discussion surrounding the MMA GOAT. While Khabib Nurmagomedov and Jon Jones have long been considered frontrunners in this debate, McKee believes his impressive record puts him on their level.

McKee, currently boasting a 22-1 professional record, spoke on The MMA Hour and addressed his place among the sports' elite. He acknowledged the dominance of Nurmagomedov and Jones but downplayed their overall superiority, emphasizing his own statistical achievements.

"I'm the only second-generation fighter out here making real noise, and state-wis, who's doing better than me, besides Jon Jones? Khabib? You can name legit two people in the world. We're talking th entire world that have better stats than me."

Check out A.J McKee's comments below (08:50):