UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria has revealed his list of the five greatest mixed martial artists of all time. And his list included some surprising omissions, leaving out fighters many consider to be untouchable legends of the sport. The new champion’s criteria for greatness clearly differs from the consensus, especially when it comes to one of the most dominant, undefeated fighters in UFC history.

Notably absent from Topuria’s selections were Khabib Nurmagomedov and Demetrious Johnson, two names frequently featured in the list of top 5 MMA GOATs. During a recent appearance on Adin Ross’ live stream on KICK, ‘El Matador’ struggled his way to producing five names. 

“Of all time?” Topuria asked. “George St. Pierre, Jon Jones, who else? Wow, that’s a tough question, always. I always forget it.”

When Ross tried to help him, suggesting Demetrious Johnson, who defended his UFC flyweight title a record 11 times before moving to ONE Championship, Topuria didn’t seem to agree. 

“No,” Topuria said sharply. 

When pressed further by Ross, who asked whether he thought Johnson was the greatest flyweight of all time, Topuria relented. 

“The greatest flyweight of all time? Probably,” Topuria said. “Yeah, probably he’s the greatest flyweight of all time.”

Even that, though, didn’t make ‘DJ’ eligible for Topuria’s top 5, as he searched his brain for the rest of the names. When the KICK streamer suggested Ilia Topuria’s own name, the Spaniard took a surprisingly humble stance on the matter:

“Yeah, but I don’t like to put myself in those lists.”

So, Ross suggested Khabib Nurmagomedov’s name, who retired from the sport undefeated while beating some of the greatest fighters UFC has ever seen. 

“He wasn’t fun to watch till the last two fights,” Topuria said in a bizarre take. “What made him fun to watch was that he was undefeated. And the fact that there’s going to be someone who is going to beat him. But the reality was, I never was a fan of his fight style. Never.”

Despite Khabib’s achievement, many highlight that ‘The Eagle’ retired too soon from the sport. Had he not left the cage, he would have been defeated eventually.

Regardless, it’s not just Ilia Topuria who has refused to add Khabib Nurmagomedov to the GOAT debate.

Henry Cejudo joins Ilia Topuria to oust Khabib Nurmagomedov from the GOAT conversation

Speaking on his ‘Pound 4 Pound’ podcast with Kamaru Usman, Henry Cejudo made it clear that he doesn’t place the former lightweight champion ahead of him historically.

“He has not done enough. I’ve told this to Khabib,” Cejudo said. “I don’t want to fight with the dude, but I remember we had a really heated conversation between us because I don’t put Khabib in front of me. I really don’t.”

Cejudo pointed to his own resume—winning UFC titles at flyweight and bantamweight and defending both belts—as proof of his broader accomplishments. He argued that Nurmagomedov’s legacy would be stronger had he pursued championships in multiple divisions.

“If Khabib would have went up a couple of weight classes… then yeah, you would have to.”

It appears several fighters have an issue with Khabib Nurmagomedov being counted among the GOATs of MMA. However, is that really the case? What do you think about it?