AKA founder Javier Mendez appeared recently on Hablemos MMA and discussed a potential bout between his fighter, undefeated UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and welterweight GOAT Georges St-Pierre. Mendez argues that the winner be the greatest MMA fighter of all time.
think so, and so does Khabib, said Mendez, as translated from Spanish by Danny Segura for MMA Junkie. The person that beats GSP will be the best of all time; I think so.
“The Eagle” is on record as saying he wants to defend successfully vs. Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 on October 24, then fight GSP, and retire. UFC president Dana White said he would try to make it happen.
It’s a big possibility, said Mendez. He might do that because all the times that I was with him and his dad, they’ve talked about those things: two more fights, 30-0.
They want to do a legacy fight, then be done, and help the other guys that are starting their fighting careers. There’s great fighters, cousins of his who are great fighter like Umar and Usman Nurmagomedov. They’re his blood. They’re going to be great fighters; Islam Makhachev too.
So he wants to help them get to the title. I don’t think he’ll fight beyond that, but anything is possible. I was a fighter too and when you’re finishing a career, you feel it in your heart, you want to fight more and it’s hard not to fight. I don’t think he’ll continue fighting, but anything is possible.
He doesn’t want that fight for money and that’s what his father wanted. He told me, ‘That’s what my father wants. What do you think coach?’ And I was like, ‘You know, if that’s what your father wants, we can do it, and if that’s what you want as well.’ And he’s like, ‘Yeah, I want to do it for my father, so I’m like, ‘Let’s do it.’
But if he doesn’t want to end his career he can jump back in there. He’s young, he’s only 31, so he still has more years of fighting. I’m not going to tell him he has to fight. I’m going to go with what he wants to do.
What do you think UG? Would a win over GSP cement Khabib Nurmagomedov as the greatest of all time?
