The UFC’s 30th anniversary date has come and gone, and in the build-up to the milestone date, MMA Junkie counted down its 30 greatest fighters of all time to compete for the promotion.
There was plenty of debate about the entire list from top to bottom, and one of the major discussion points was undefeated former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov getting the No. 5 position after a dominant octagon tenure that, in the minds of many, ended prematurely due to his retirement.
The final list was tabulated through a points system after voting from MMA Junkie’s 12-person staff, with “The Eagle” landing just outside the Mount Rushmore.
Still, was No. 5 too high for Khabib? That was a major point of conversation on MMA Junkie’s special edition of “Spinning Back Clique,” where the majority of our staff came together to discuss and debate the finer points of the list, including Nurmagomedov getting such a prominent position despite just 13 promotional appearances.
Check out the discussion in the video above, or watch the entire 30 greatest UFC fighters of all time podcast below.