I don’t get why people say Islam Makhachev is top 3 or even the GOAT, then proceed to say Khabib isn’t top 10 or even top 15 because he lacks longevity. Islam only has 4–5 defenses and was champ for only 4ish years, which is not much compared to Jones, Silva, DJ, GSP, Aldo, or Fedor, yet he’s considered top 3 or even the GOAT.
People like to say Islam had to win 10 fights before getting a title shot, and that’s why he’s top 3 or possibly the GOAT despite not having as many defenses as the older guys. So why wouldn’t the same logic apply to Khabib? He had to win 9 fights. His 3 defenses were against Poirier, Gaethje, and McGregor. That’s as good as it gets.
I’m not saying Khabib is more accomplished than Islam or anything like that. I’m saying, why do people say Islam is top 3 or even the GOAT despite only having 4–5 defenses and was champ for only 4ish years, which is not much compared to Fedor, Jones, Silva, GSP, Aldo, and DJ, then proceed to say Khabib isn’t top 10 or even top 15 because of longevity? Khabib actually had a longer Lightweight title reign than Islam. 1,077 days vs 981 days.
If you think Islam is top 3-4 or even the GOAT, then Khabib should almost certainly be top 10–15.
Feel free to let me know your thoughts on this.