“Khabib was right all along” – Khabib Nurmagomedov’s comments on Jose Aldo spark a savage debate among fans following the Brazilian’s retirement
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Khabib and Aldo have been having a subtle feud for over a year now
Since Jose Aldo’s retirement rumors have been floating around, many are revisiting Khabib Nurmagomedov’s comments about him. This has led to quite the discussion and sometimes violent argument in the MMA community about Aldo’s legacy in the sport.
Earlier last year, Khabib made some comments following Aldo’s rise up the bantamweight rankings. Khabib put it out plainly that one person cannot have two primes. Surprisingly he compared Aldo to the biggest blot on his record, Conor McGregor. Khabib felt like Aldo was out of his prime and is quite like McGregor nowadays, as the Irishman looked great against declining opponents like Cowboy Cerrone but crumbles in front of better competition.
“A fight against Cowboy will prove nothing, similar with Pedro Munhoz for Aldo, let him fight Petr Yan the same way and then we can say he’s peaking again. You saw what he did, he closed up and waited for the ref to stop the fight“, said Nurmagomedov at a press conference for Eagle FC. Khabib then said that if he were at his peak, he would have defended himself while he was still conscious, comparing Aldo to a businessman rather than a fighter.
Aldo didn’t take these comments lying down either, he went on a rant of his own where he accused Khabib that had he not “run away” from the sport when he became champion, he wouldn’t have to be so doubtful of his legacy,. “You are starting to realize that retirement was a mistake and now you are trying to subtract other veterans. In 10-20 years, I won’t regret anything, because I’m fighting here and now and Khabib will ask himself: “And if I kept fighting could I be the best fighter of all time?” This will eat him up on the inside”, said Aldo.
Fans argue over Khabib Nurmagomedov and Jose Aldo’s rivalry
Now while there have been precedents in combat sports of fighters having a second prime, most notably George Foreman, who regained his heavyweight championship almost 17 years after he first lost it to Muhammad Ali, there have been none so prominent in MMA. While Randy Couture may be an example fans tout it’s important to remember he was only one bout separated from a title fight before he became the oldest heavyweight champ in the UFC.
Glover Teixeira could be another example but he too was simply consistent in his rather than having two primes in his career.
Here are the best fan reactions to Khabib’s comments and Jose Aldo’s retirement
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Jerin Mathew
(713 Articles Published)