"Khabib is certainly in that conversation" - Artem Lobov on why Conor McGregor's arch rival should be included in GOAT discussions

Former UFC fighter Artem Lobov believes that Khabib Nurmagomedov certainly deserves to be in the G.O.A.T conversation of mixed martial arts.

While he considers Fedor Emelianenko his personal G.O.A.T of the sport, he believes 'The Eagle' should be in discussion as well for his accomplishments, Artem Lobov said in a June 28 podcast with Niall McGrath of Talking Brawls.

Lobov added that he would love to see Khabib Nurmagomedov fight again, especially with Conor McGregor, with whom the Dagestani had the most bitter rivalry of his UFC career:

"I mean, as the greatest of all time, that's a very, very high company to be with. To me, that's Fedor [Emelianenko], you know, to me it's Fedor and there's nobody that comes close. But Khabib is certainly in that conversation. You have to give him props for what he has achieved, you know, especially in the UFC. I certainly would love to see him fight more, you know. I certainly would love to see him fight Conor [McGregor] again."

However, Artem Lobov respects the decision Khabib Nurmagomedov made to retire from the sport, and called it smart given the toll MMA takes on fighters' health:

"The lightweight division is on fire now, there's a lot of interesting matchups there. But you know, you have to respect his decision. And as I mentioned, this is fighting we're talking about, when for your whole life you're in this sport, it's very dangerous for your health. So it's probably a very smart decision on his part to retire young and healthy."

Since the podcast came out a couple of weeks before Conor McGregor's UFC 264 trilogy clash with Dustin Poirier, Artem Lobov can also be heard talking about the Irishman's loss in their previous encounter at UFC 257.

---

Artem Lobov: There's no shame in losing to someone like Dustin Poirier

While a large section of the MMA community is dismissing Conor McGregor as a fighter after back-to-back losses to Dustin Poirier and many are even asking for his retirement, Artem Lobov believes that there is "no shame" in losing to someone of Dustin Poirier's skillset.

Watch the full podcast with Artem Lobov below: