City Kickboxing teammates Israel Adesanya and Dan Hooker discussed whether Charles Oliveira can surpass Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s legacy with a win over Islam Makhachev.
Nurmagomedov is considered the greatest UFC lightweight of all time, primarily due to his immaculate record of 29 wins and no losses. However, many have recently discussed Oliveira due to his brilliant run over the past few fights.
As far as Adesanya is concerned, there’s only one way to find out who the lightweight GOAT (greatest of all time) truly is. Assuming Oliveira beats Makhachev in the main event of UFC 280, Adensaya thinks Nurmagomedov has to come out of retirement to settle the debate once and for all:
“Okay hot take, hot take!” Adesanya exclaimed. “If he [Charles Oliveira] beats Islam [Makhachev], Khabib [has] got to come back. He [has] got to come back and be like, ‘I must avenge.'”
The way Hooker sees it, though, the debate ultimately comes down to preference. He pointed out that Oliveira will never surpass Khabib’s record as he’s already suffered a handful of losses early in his career. ‘The Hangman’ argued:
“So, I just feel like it’s apples and oranges. Like, he’s never going to get those eight losses off his record. And if someone likes apples and they say that being undefeated is the best thing you could possibly do then you’re never going to change their mind that Charles Oliveira is better. It just comes down to what you prioritize.”
Watch the video below:
Khabib Nurmagomedov predicts easy win for Islam Makhachev against Charles Oliveira
Khabib Nurmagomedov will be in Islam Makhachev’s corner for this Saturday’s main event title fight at UFC 280.
As Makhachev’s longtime training partner and mentor, Nurmagomedov is hugely confident about his friend’s chances of beating Charles Oliveira. in an interview with UFC Russia (transcript via MMA Junkie), ‘The Eagle’ proclaimed:
“When you’re 27 and at your physical peak, but mentally you’re not there yet, because you’re just 27, not 31. And Islam is at his peak. I think Islam is better overall. Of course, there are some potential dangers that we’re working on where Islam needs to be careful. Other than that, Islam should roll over him.”
Check out Khabib Nurmagomedov’s interview below:
