Khabib Nurmagomedov's coach gets candid about the MMA GOAT debate and Jon Jones: "One million percent yes"

American Kickboxing Academy head coach Javier Mendez expressed his honest opinion on the MMA GOAT debate, which includes fighters such as Jon Jones and Khabib Nurmagomedov. While Nurmagomedov has been one of the most dominant champions in MMA history, he has only four title fight victories to his record, and many believe he retired too early from the sport.

Meanwhile, Jones has demonstrated remarkable longevity, competing against elite competitors for almost a decade and a half. However, his questionable behaviour outside the cage and multiple legal issues have cast a shadow on his character.

During his recent appearance on the Overdogs Podcast with Mike Perry, Mendez was asked to share his thoughts on Jones and Nurmagomedov's positions in the GOAT debate. He said:

"If I'm going to go in the ring, then it's going to be Floyd Mayweather, but I'm going by what they do outside. And I told Khabib, 'it's what you do outside that defines who you are in my eyes.' To me, Muhammad Ali was that [greatest of all time], and, to me, Khabib was that because what he did outside, not just what he did inside."

He added:

"Did he fight enough times to be arguably in that position? No. But did he dominate everybody to be able to be in that position? Arguably, 1 million percent! Nobody has ever been as dominant as he has been. He's never been touched, never been hurt."

Check out Javier Mendez's comments below (1:15:30):

Mendez's comments suggest that Jones and Nurmagomedov are strong contenders for the MMA GOAT title. However, it must be noted that other fighters, such as Georges St-Pierre, Demetrious Johnson, Anderson Silva, and Jose Aldo also have impressive credentials that qualify them for consideration.

---

Javier Mendez explains why he did not pick Jon Jones over Khabib Nurmagomedov

While Jon Jones has been regarded as one of the most accomplished combat sports athletes of all time, he has tested positive for banned substances, which has raised doubts about the validity of his legacy in the sport.

During the aforementioned episode of the Overdogs podcast with Mike Perry, Javier Mendez highlighted this as a major drawback in Jones' professional MMA career, stating:

"Did he need that stuff to become great? In my opinion, no! I've seen that guy, he's one of the most incredible athletes I've seen in person. He was unbelievably gifted, so he didn't need any of that to be as great. So I don't put him in that category only for that reason. If it wasn't for that, I would arguably have to say Jon Jones." [1:16:30]

Mendez also pointed out that, unlike Khabib, Jones has been involved in several incredibly close fights that many believe he lost.