Former two-division champion Daniel Cormier recently graded Khabib Nurmagomedov above Muhammad Ali on his greatest fighters of all-time list.
Nurmagomedov is widely regarded as the greatest mixed martial arts fighter of all time after a dominant reign in the UFC. The Dagestan-born stepped away from the sport in 2021 undefeated while holding the lightweight championship. Nurmagomedov ran through some of the sport’s elite, including Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje. On the other hand, Ali cemented himself as one of boxing’s all-time greats, leaving an unforgettable legacy behind.
Ali attained wins over some of boxing’s greatest stars of his era, Frazier, Sonny Liston, and George Foreman, to name a few. Taking that all into account, Cormier believes Floyd Mayweather and Nurmagomedov place above Ali on the list. With Ali in the third sport, George St-Pierre and Amanda Nunes sit below in his list.
Daniel Cormier Shares His List
“So hear me out you might disagree with me on this, Muhammad Ali at No.3,” Cormier said during an interview on First Take which saw his co-host Stephen A Smith react like the fans did. “One of the greatest boxers of all-time, what he did transcended the sport. But here is the difference, he was a pillar of our community. He did so many things outside of the boxing ring, and I think that is why we elevate him to the greatest boxer of all-time.
Smith replied: “Thrilla in Manila, Rumble in the Jungle, beating Joe Frazier, beating George Foreman are you kidding me?” Cormier continued: “I get it but I have reserved the top of my list for the undefeated. He was not undefeated. At two we put in Khabib Nurmagomedov and he was 29-0. The way that he beat Conor McGregor was second to none and he could have defended his belt as many times as he wanted.
“And at No.1 we have Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather who is the greatest-boxer of all-time, he is also the greatest promoter. He beat Canelo, he beat Manny Pacquiao and Canelo and it doesn’t matter when he beat them, they all got beat.” Ali is very unlucky to not top the list given the fact he was named Sportsperson of the Century by many media outlets including the BBC and Sports Illustrated in 1999.
What do you make of Daniel Cormier’s list?
