Cejudo Questions Khabib's GOAT Status After Three Defenses

Henry Cejudo does not believe Khabib Nurmagomedov belongs in the greatest-of-all-time conversation.

The former two-division UFC champion told the Pound 4 Pound podcast that Nurmagomedov's three lightweight title defenses are insufficient for that level of recognition, regardless of the Russian's undefeated record. Cejudo pointed to Islam Makhachev's recent win over Ian Garry at UFC 330 as evidence that title defense tallies carry more weight than unblemished marks. "Three title defenses? Like, that's not it, bro," Cejudo said, per Sherdog. "Title defenses are what people see, bro. You can have a padded record too, with a bunch of wins."

Why Cejudo Values Title Defenses Over Perfect Records

Cejudo used his own teammate Makhachev as a case study, noting the current pound-for-pound king would have tumbled down the rankings had he failed to secure his latest defense. The Olympic gold medalist stressed that winning a belt is one thing, but holding it is what separates the elite from the legendary. Nurmagomedov captured the 155-pound strap against Al Iaquinta in 2018 and defended it against Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje before walking away at 29-0 in 2020.

Cejudo himself won UFC gold at flyweight and bantamweight, defending each belt once before retiring in 2020. He returned three years later but dropped four straight before losing to Payton Talbott last December and retiring for good.

Makhachev is now chasing his fourth title defense overall, a mark that would lift him past his mentor in at least one metric of championship longevity.

Reported via:

• Sherdog — Henry Cejudo questions Khabib Nurmagomedov's place in GOAT debate