Justin Gaethje Left Khabib Off His MMA Mount Rushmore. 🤔🥊 On the “One Night with Steiny” podcast, Gaethje named his personal top five: Royce Gracie, Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre, Jon Jones and Chuck Liddell. When asked if Khabib Nurmagomedov belonged on his list, Gaethje simply answered: “No, not mine.” (Yahoo Sports) That makes the answer especially interesting given Gaethje’s recent comments about their UFC 254 matchup. He said he won the first round on two of three scorecards, but that it took “everything in my body” to do it, adding that Khabib’s pressure made it difficult to sustain. (The Times of India) Khabib went on to submit Gaethje in Round 2 at UFC 254, finishing the fight at 1:34 and retiring afterward with a 29-0 record. (UFC) Two legendary fighters. One unforgettable matchup. And still plenty to debate about where Khabib belongs among the all-time greats. Would Khabib make your MMA Mount Rushmore? 👇 🎥 Credit: One Night with Steiny (YouTube) #JustinGaethje #KhabibNurmagomedov #UFC254 #UFC #MMA
Justin Gaethje has left Khabib Nurmagomedov off his personal MMA Mount Rushmore — a notable omission given that Khabib submitted him at UFC 254.
Speaking on the "One Night with Steiny" podcast, Gaethje named his top five fighters of all time as Royce Gracie, Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre, Jon Jones, and Chuck Liddell. When asked directly whether Khabib deserved a spot on that list, Gaethje was blunt: "No, not mine."
The answer carries extra weight given what Gaethje has said about the UFC 254 bout itself. He acknowledged it took "everything in my body" to manage the first round, noting that Khabib's relentless pressure made it nearly impossible to sustain his output. Gaethje said he won that opening frame on two of the three judges' scorecards. Khabib then submitted him in Round 2 at the 1:34 mark, capping a perfect 29-0-0 career before retiring from the sport.
Khabib, now 38, built that unblemished record largely through elite grappling. He averaged 5.32 takedowns per fifteen minutes across his career and consistently suffocated opponents with positional control, landing 4.1 significant strikes per minute while operating at 48 percent striking accuracy.
Gaethje, 37, sits at 28-5-0 and holds lightweight gold. He represents the opposite end of the stylistic spectrum — a high-output pressure striker who averages 6.48 significant strikes per minute at 58 percent accuracy, among the most efficient outputs in the division's history.
Why it matters
- Gaethje omitting his own conqueror from an all-time list reignites debate about Khabib's legacy and where he ranks among lightweight and pound-for-pound greats.
- The admission that Khabib's pressure was nearly unsustainable even in a round Gaethje claims to have won underlines just how unique that stylistic challenge was.
- With Gaethje currently champion at lightweight, any broader conversation about the division's greatest inevitably circles back to Khabib's undefeated reign at the top of it.
