Ali Abdelaziz has Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov tied on his GOAT list
Ali Abdelaziz recently unveiled his GOAT list on X, and it features a stalemate between Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov are the greatest fighters Dagestan has ever produced. So, it stands to reason that their manager, Ali Abdelaziz, includes them on his list of MMA's greatest-ever fighters. What is curious, though, is that he couldn't decide who, between Makhachev and Nurmagomedov, was greater.
Ali Abdelaziz adds Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov to his GOAT list
The topic of who deserves to be recognized as the greatest MMA fighter of all time is one that's been debated for decades. At one point, Fedor Emelianenko was regarded as the sport's GOAT. Then, it was Anderson Silva, before Jon Jones ultimately enthroned himself as the greatest-ever in many people's eyes. However, when Ali Abdelaziz took to X with his own GOAT list, he avoided naming an undisputed king. Instead, he focused on the greatest of all time in each division.
"Greatest of all time.
125 lbs: DJ .
135 lbs: Aljamain Sterling.
145 lbs: Volk .
155 lbs: Khabib / Islam .
170 lbs: Usman .
185 lbs: Anderson and Silva .
205 lbs: Jon Jones.
265 lbs: Francis Ngannou."
Greatest of all the time
— Ali Abdelaziz (@AliAbdelaziz00) July 29, 2026
125 lb DJ
135lb Aljamain Sterling
145lb Volk
155lb Khabib /islam
170 lb Usman
185 lb Anderson and Silva
205 lb Jon Jones
265lb Francis
He named both Makhachev and Nurmagomedov as the lightweight GOATs, which is a sensible take. Makhachev holds the record for the most lightweight title defenses, holds the longest win streak in the division's history, and has defeated higher-level competition than 'The Eagle' has. However, Nurmagomedov retired undefeated, barely ever lost a round, and introduced the sport to the patented Dagestani style of cage-wrestling. Perhaps the most baffling Abdelaziz take, however, is his belief in Francis Ngannou being the greatest heavyweight of all time. While 'The Predator' was a force of nature during his UFC tenure, he has neither the title defenses nor body of work to justify being placed ahead of either Stipe Miocic or Emelianenko.
A similar argument could be made against Kamaru Usman, who is usually regarded as being just behind Georges St-Pierre, who has far more welterweight title defenses.
