5 reasons why Alexander Volkanovski is ahead of Khabib Nurmagomedov in the GOAT conversation

Alexander Volkanovski is arguably the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world, a suggestion that has become increasingly more difficult to dispute following his dominant win over Max Holloway at UFC 276.

Khabib Nurmagomedov, however, is held in much higher esteem. Undefeated and retired from the sport without ever having even bled or been dropped in 29 fights, Nurmagomedov is an almost mythical figure in MMA.

Upon his retirement, the former UFC lightweight champion sparked a short-lived debate about whether he's the greatest mixed martial artist of all time. While popular opinion eventually established a pecking order with Jon Jones and Georges St-Pierre ahead of the Russian legend, the sport has changed since the discussion was last had.

Alexander Volkanovski has emerged as a dark horse in the GOAT conversation. While fans have warmed to the idea of regarding him as the greatest featherweight in UFC history, this list will cite five reasons asserting why 'The Great' is ahead of Khabib Nurmagomedov in the greatest of all time hierarchy.

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#5. The asterix that is Nurmagomedov's padded record

The fact that Nurmagomedov defeated 29 different opponents throughout the course of his career is indeed impressive.

However, his record is not without an asterix. Much has been said, including by Nurmagomedov's former rival Tony Ferguson, about the Russian's MMA record. 'The Eagle' is often described as owning a fairly padded record, and one only needs to research the opponent Nurmagomedov faced for his 15th fight to confirm the claim.

Any fighter with serious aspirations who is 15-0 is likely to be signed to a major promotion like the UFC or Bellator due to the sheer strength of their résumé. Cody Garbrandt, for example, challenged for the UFC bantamweight title when he was a mere 10-0 as a professional.

What, then, was Nurmagomedov doing by the time of his 15th fight? Facing off against Vadim Sandulskiy, who was a 0-0 fighter at the time, making his professional MMA debut.

For his 12th bout, 'The Eagle', an undefeated prospect on an 11-fight win streak, locked horns with Ashot Shahinyan, a low-level fighter who ultimately retired with a dispiriting 2-5 record.

In his 16th fight prior to signing with the UFC, Nurmagomedov faced Arymarcel Santos, a mixed martial artist whose current record sits at 42-38.

Of course, 'The Eagle' sported impressive wins on his record. However, the myth of his résumé being a spotless example of his dominance is misleading considering how poor the strength of his competition was before his UFC run. The strength of his overall competition is important in determining his standing in the GOAT debate, otherwise Ronda Rousey would rank ahead of Jose Aldo for having suffered fewer losses.

For a closer comparison, Alexander Volkanovski faced Shane Young, who was 11-3 at the time, in the UFC for his 16th fight. Furthermore, the only blemish on the featherweight great's record is the knockout loss he suffered at welterweight, two divisions above his current one, whereas Nurmagomedov never dared fight at middleweight.

#4. Alexander Volkanovski has fought more elite competition

In his UFC career, Nurmagomedov fought against lesser competition than Alexander Volkanovski has, and at a lower volume as well.

The Russian legend is often credited with besting Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje. He also faced Rafael dos Anjos and Al Iaquinta prior to these wins.

Nurmagomedov's bouts with McGregor and Iaquinta, however, require closer examination. When 'The Eagle' and 'The Notorious' finally clashed at UFC 229, it was clear to everyone that the Irishman was not in optimal condition.

While there is no doubt Nurmagomedov would've defeated any version of McGregor, the McGregor he did face was one returning to MMA after a two-year absence from the sport. A McGregor who openly drank whiskey at a pre-fight press conference days before the fight.

Furthermore, Iaquinta wasn't given enough time to prepare. He was the second late-notice replacement for the bout with Nurmagomedov at UFC 223 after Max Holloway could not be medically cleared to replace an injured Tony Ferguson.

Alexander Volkanovski, on the other hand, fought two-time featherweight title challenger Chad Mendes, two-time featherweight title challenger Chan Sung Jung, two-time featherweight title challenger Brian Ortega, former featherweight champion Jose Aldo and former featherweight champion Max Holloway.

Two of the aforementioned foes on Alexander Volkanovski's record are fighters widely regarded as the greatest featherweights of all time, whereas Nurmagomedov has never faced any fighter of such historical standing, least of all thrice as 'The Great' has with Holloway.

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#3. Volkanovski has proven himself against every style of opponent

Another point of intrigue Nurmagomedov's greatest critics narrow on is the near-total absence of strong grapplers and skilled wrestlers on the Russian's record.

With the exception of Abel Trujillo, whose wrestling skills were of little note, and Rafael dos Anjos, who is himself neither a strong wrestler nor an exceptionally dangerous submission specialist despite his Brazilian jiu-jitsu credentials, 'The Eagle' largely faced strikers during his UFC run.

His most impressive wins all came against strikers who used their grappling defensively, with the exception of Justin Gaethje, who has no defensive grappling to pair with his defensive wrestling.

The same cannot be said for Alexander Volkanovski.

'The Great' has faced a strong and explosive wrestler in Chad Mendes, superb strikers in Jose Aldo and Max Holloway, a heavy-handed power-puncher with an iron chin in Chan Sung Chung, and a deadly Brazilian jiu-jitsu submission specialist in Brian Ortega.

Alexander Volkanovski has proven his skill-set both offensively and defensively against a greater variety and breadth of competition, while Nurmagomedov has not. The Russian, as Kevin Lee once correctly pointed out, never faced a strong wrestler or grappler who was not fearful of wrestling and or grappling with him.

#2. Alexander Volkanovski is a more well-rounded fighter

Khabib Nurmagomedov was an exceptionally gifted grappler and wrestler.

While his takedown entries were, at times, reckless, his chain wrestling was a work of art. Dustin Poirier claimed that it wasn't the Russian's strength that most surprised him in the grappling phases of their bout, but his intelligence as Nurmagomedov felt, in Poirier's words, as though he was always a step ahead.

Furthermore, Nurmagomedov is often credited with revolutionizing the use of the cage to render his wrestling and grappling more effective. Fighters often use the fence as an aid to more easily return to their feet after conceding takedowns.

Nurmagomedov, by contrast, uses the fence to trap his foes in the grappling phase. While opponents like Conor McGregor successfully used the fence to wall-walk back to their feet, they were still trapped against the fence with 'The Eagle' leaning against them with a wrist-grip and the top of his head braced against their chin to break their posture.

This meant that even if foes managed to stand back to their feet, they were still in a compromised position that was more advantageous to Nurmagomedov than to them.

The Russian's striking, however, was chaotic. It served a purpose, but if not for the threat of his wrestling, it would have been torn apart.

Alexander Volkanovski is a different beast altogether. His wrestling is strong, he feints smartly, uses calf kicks to counter the jabs of taller foes and does not deviate from effective boxing fundamentals. When Max Holloway introduced his counter to Alexander Volkanovski's calf kicks, the Australian great adjusted by jabbing with the taller Holloway to disrupt his rhythm.

'The Great' is comfortable in every phase of combat. Max Holloway could not oustrike him, nor could 'The Korean Zombie' out-punch him. Chad Mendes was unable to wrestle him, and Brian Ortega failed to submit him, only earning punishment from the guard after every failed submission attempt.

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#1. Alexander Volkanovski has more title defenses

Title defenses are often used as a metric by which a fighter's greatness is measured.

One of the longstanding criticisms Conor McGregor has rightfully received is his complete lack of title defenses. The Irishman has never defended a single championship in any MMA promotion he's fought for.

Georges St-Pierre is still upheld as the greatest welterweight in the sport due to his insurmountable title defense record in the division. Similarly, a good chunk of Anderson Silva's greatness hinges on his breathtaking ten-title defensive record, because while opinions vary and are subjective, statistics are more difficult to dispute.

From a statistical standpoint, Khabib Nurmagomedov has three title defenses over Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor. Alexander Volkanovski, by comparison, has four title defenses over Max Holloway (2x), Chan Sung Jung and Brian Ortega.

Given Alexander Volkanovski's rate of improvement as a fighter, as evidenced by how easily he shut down Holloway at UFC 276 despite the Hawaiian's shutout performances over the rest of the division's best, 'The Great' is unlikely to relinquish his UFC featherweight championship any time soon.

Thus, his title defense record will likely only extend as he continues to turn away every challenger with a hopeless beating.