Former UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov never lost a fight. Photo: Per Häljestam – USA TODAY Sports
Former UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov fought some of the best names in the stacked lightweight division during his successful career. However, in a recent interview the undefeated champion revealed some fighters that he really wanted to have fought.
The first name is not a surprise for anyone.
“Of course it was Tony Ferguson for sure,” Nurmagomedov said. “But this has never happened.”
He also mentioned another legendary opponent that could have been a massive fight.
“OK, GSP, if you guys want – but I respect this guy a lot. I grew up with his fights. When he became UFC Champion in 2007, I hadn’t started my professional career. I was an amateur fighter and I watched a lot of his fights with my father. GSP was like a role model in MMA for me.”
The undefeated former champion also named a fighter that could be a bit of a surprise to many fans.
“I think it was 2014-15 when Anthony Pettis was UFC champion. At that time, I really, really wanted to fight this guy, but then he lost his title verseus Rafael dos Anjos. After that, his career go down, he never came back. It was Anthony Pettis, Tony Ferguson and Canadian superstar GSP,” Nurmagomedov said.
Khabib retired in 2021 with a professional record of 29-0. His impressive resume includes wins over fighters like Conor, McGregor, Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje, Edson Barboza and Rafael dos Anjos.