MMA analyst Kalugin responded to Vlad Matveev's top 10 greatest UFC fighters list, expressing surprise at the absence of Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor. Kalugin argues that greatness should include not only titles and opposition quality but also impact on the sport, including popularization, geographical expansion, peak performance, fight dominance, commercial value, and records. He believes Khabib and Conor's contributions to globalizing MMA, particularly in the Arab world and worldwide respectively, along with their ability to inspire new fighters, warrant inclusion. Kalugin presented his own top 10 list: Jon Jones, GSP, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor, Jose Aldo, Alex Pereira, Anderson Silva, Demetrious Johnson, Islam Makhachev, and Amanda Nunes. He acknowledges the subjective nature of such rankings while defending his criteria.
MMA analyst Kalugin entered a public debate over the greatest UFC fighters of all time this week, pushing back against a top 10 list compiled by fellow analyst Vlad Matveev that left out both Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor.
Kalugin's central argument is that greatness cannot be measured by titles and competition quality alone. He contends that factors such as a fighter's impact on the sport's global growth, commercial value, peak dominance, and ability to inspire the next generation of athletes all deserve weight. Using that broader framework, he assembled his own top 10: Jon Jones, Georges St-Pierre, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor, Jose Aldo, Alex Pereira, Anderson Silva, Demetrious Johnson, Islam Makhachev, and Amanda Nunes.
Khabib, the 37-year-old Russian who retired with a perfect 29-0-0 record, is cited by Kalugin for his role in expanding MMA's reach into the Arab world and broader Muslim communities. The former lightweight champion averaged 5.32 takedowns per 15 minutes across his career, a figure that reflects the suffocating grappling style that made him one of the most dominant champions in the promotion's history.
Jones, listed at the top of Kalugin's ranking, carries a 28-1-0 record and brings rare physical tools to the equation — standing six-foot-four with an 84-inch reach — while posting a striking accuracy of 58 percent, among the highest figures for a fighter of his activity level.
Anderson Silva, slotted at seventh, compiled a 34-11-0 record across his career and remains one of the most technically precise strikers the sport has seen, landing 61 percent of his significant strikes, the highest accuracy figure among the three verified fighters in this discussion.
Why it matters
- The debate highlights an ongoing disagreement about how to define all-time greatness in MMA beyond championship reigns
- Including cultural and commercial impact as criteria could shift where fighters like McGregor rank on any historical list
- Kalugin acknowledged the inherently subjective nature of such rankings while firmly defending his expanded criteria
