Biggest UFC superstar Conor McGregor and rival Khabib Nurmagomedov SNUBBED from viral ‘Top 100 athletes of 21st Century’ list
A ranking of the top 100 professional athletes since the year 2000 doesn't feature the biggest UFC superstar of all time.
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Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor (Image via IMAGO)
The UFC brass salvaged the UFC 303 pay-per-view card after Conor McGregor’s injury withdrawal. However, ‘Notorious’ is notoriously dropping from the global fave list. Joining him is his nemesis, Khabib Nurmagomedov. Out of fighting since his 2021 trilogy loss and leg break, McGregor isn’t winning any party favors. Moreover, his dwindling status as a global ‘Top 100 athlete’ is now becoming a big blemish!
McGregor was in camp to headline against Michael Chandler, a long-discussed fight that finally materialized 18 months later. ‘Mystic Mac’ had stirred up a big storm just sitting at home. No, seriously, the supposed Conor McGregor-led pay-per-view capped off a projected $20 million in ticket gate buys. He even sold out the 3Arena for his appearance, but that didn’t happen as planned.
Twenty-five years ago, the ESPN SportsCentury project ranked the top 100 athletes in North America. Continuing the tradition for global athletes, the list finds McGregor and Nurmagomedov out of the Top 100 athletes list. Five-time Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady, Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi, 24 Grand Slam title winner Novak Djokovic, ‘King’ of NBA LeBron James; those are the names the list usually entails.
While the Irishman’s case might’ve fallen short because of his inactivity, rival Nurmagomedov, who is now retired surprisingly is out of the list. Khabib ‘The Eagle’ went the entire ‘century’ without a single loss on his record, putting Dagestan on the map. Undoubtedly, he was the biggest Muslim athlete on the planet during his reign.
This is similar to how McGregor missed out on Forbes’s list of the highest-paid athletes. Despite the setbacks, the Irishman is nearing billionaire status. Even his windfalls have shifted pace. In 2021, $22M of his wealth came from fight purses, while an astounding $158M came from brand endorsements. With his comeback sabotaged, his stock might take just some further hits.
MMA and Boxing: Who made the ‘Top 100’ list, san Conor McGregor?
The ceremonial ‘Top 100 athletes of the 21st Century’ list from the ESPN SportsCentury project, in conjunction with ESPN MMA, is a compilation by ESPN Senior writer David Schoenfield. Michael Phelps, Serena Williams, and Messi form the holy trinity atop the list, but combat sports isn’t really far behind.
The youngest fighter to win a UFC championship yet, Jon Jones, perches at #66. ‘Bones’ has gone 16 years without losing to an opponent (his only loss was a controversial DQ to Matt Hamill in 2009). Per statleaders.ufc.com (UFC Record Book), he has the most number of title fights, ever! There’s a reason top brass goes scorched earth in defending his legacy.
In a sport of physicality where the margin of victory is razor thin, Georges St-Pierre (#76) has been an all-time welterweight G.O.A.T. candidate. From 2006-13, he won 14 of 15 bouts. At one point, he was undefeated for 33 consecutive rounds with mammoth title defenses. He is also known as one of the most outspoken critics of PEDs.
Even 50-0 boxing legend Floyd Mayweather, who banked his ‘Money’ status moreover in a pioneer crossover boxing bout with Conor McGregor, sits at No. 25. Mayweather dominated the pound-for-pound rankings from 2005 to 2015, winning world titles in five weight classes. The list has very few additions from combat sports as they have favored anything but combat sports.
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