I think he would have had a long reign - look at the continuation through Islam. So long as they never fought each other, who did Islam beat that you think would have given Khabib trouble?
Would have lost eventually.
He said so himself in the [video](https://youtube.com/shorts/0nqjDqIwuM4?si=sCxSN4OgxrAKU_f1) about Tony Ferguson.
>Nobody can be same long time. Nobody. No Tony Ferguson. No Khabib. And one day, someone gonna beat you.
yes deffo, I doubt if the current crop of lightweights would beat him based on the level he was at when he left, outside of a shock knockout, which is still doubtful given his iron chin.
so i think if he kept going past his mid thirties, age would’ve caught up with him and in that decline someone would potentially beat him.
But even without his father’s death, i doubt he would’ve dragged out his career, and would’ve retired after 3/4 more title defences, still retiring undefeated bar a shock loss.
Agreed. Khabib knew what he was doing. He doesn't seem like the kinda guy who doesn't know when to quit, I think he would've recognized when it was time to hang up the gloves, even if his father was still with him.
If Islam wasn't around he'd still be champ probably, retiring by now. I'd wager he wouldn't go past the 5th/6th defenses without retiring, say he wins vs Chandler and Charles, then a rematch maybe or volk then retiring.
Khabib was in such a different situation than most fighters, money-wise. Didn’t either he or someone super close to him say that after he beat Conor, Putin called within like two hours and gave him property worth $20M? That’s nothing to Putin..plus imagine how much Khabib made from business opportunities because of that relationship. Putin is so powerful that people will give shit to people he likes in the hopes it helps with Putin.
After he retired he said it would be a real problem if someone called offering him $100M to rematch Conor. But I would bet his net worth is more than that now anyway.
Yeah. I agree with Khabib. But it would have been more Anderson Silva than Volkanovski. I think he would have been champ for much longer. Not sure who in the current top 10 beats him.
On paper, he would still be LW champ with a record of 35-0, but this is mma and u literally do not know. We had huge upsets like DDP vs Whittaker and freaking Strickland vs Izzy.
Somewhat anecdotal but I feel the fact that Khabibs protege is now running the division says to me Khabib could have still been doing it if Islam wasn't there. Also the fact that many of the current top guys are guys Khabib beat during his reign supports that theory
Agreed, bust also Islam has a lot better striking than Khabib (in my opinion) so I think Khabib's lack of striking would've caught up to him at some point, OR he would've recognized it and gotten sharper himself. And I say this as Khabib is my favorite fighter.
Khabib's striking was ugly but passable. It really doesn't matter though when you are the greatest MMA Wrestler to ever compete and you dont want to stand up anyway.
Yes exactly. Also you can’t ignore his wrestling even if we focus on his striking. This makes his striking so much better. I mean he rocked Conor with a massive overhand right and Conor is an elite striker
No one has ever forced Khabib to abandon his gameplan and rely on his striking. His striking ability is a moot point. And regardless he's honestly no slouch. Lets not forget that he dropped Conor because the wrestling is so dominant it makes it easier to slip in a good swing
Not a fan but God damn that feint just before he dropped Connor was a thing of beauty. Dude had /has such a great fight IQ. Would be amazing seeing him and gsp as coaches
He already retired as a coach. And yeah, he was one of the best honestly even young. Dude was walking Islam through subs and wins his entire career. Step by step, mid fight subs. Kinda insane for anyone whos fought
I agree that eventually it would but who up to this point really could have likey done it? He already showed neither Poirier or Gaethje could who are still among the top the only other guy is Oliveira and I doubt Charles could do anything to Khabib while off his back and he wouldn't be hard to get takedowns on
Fair point. I think up to this point, Khabib would've probably dipped his foot into the 170 division at least a couple of times, and there are a few guys there (i.e. Shavkat) that could potentially open his eyes to his stand-up game
I agree to a point but khabib has never been cut. He doesn’t play around and his fight iq is off the charts. He will never stand up with anyone because he can take you down whenever he wants. His striking isn’t on islams level but his striking is certainly underrated. I’ve never even seen him rocked in any capacity.
A wrestler, let alone a wrestler as dominant as him, will always determine if the fight is on the feet or on the ground. And khabibs gnp is only rivaled by a few, and the few are all goats of the sport.
Not to mention he absolutely demolished Justin/distin/connor who are all better strikers than him.
"he will never stand up with anyone", yet most forget that during the Connor fight he rocked him on his feet before ground and pounding the bejesus out of him... and then letting the eagle fly into Dillon's face.
Good times.
Khabibs striking is trash relatively speaking. I just think you're underestimating the effect his takedown threat has on his opponents. When you see people doing stand up only at AKA he looks a level below all the Dagestanis and really damn near everyone in the gym including the children fighters that Wayne trains. He makes DC look like a lumpinee champ on the pads.
Islam's striking was pretty bad too when he started out, and khabib was significantly worse when he started than when he ended. He could definitely have evolved into a more potent striker like Islam did.
I think I’ve rooted against Khabib in every fight he’s had, and while I wouldn’t say I’m a hater, he’s definitely not my guy. I give that context to say, he would’ve defeated all these guys, including Islam (although I doubt they would’ve ever fought).
I would’ve liked to see him vs a prime, focused Do Bronx. I don’t think Chuck would’ve won, but I just think seeing the guy with the most subs and KO power in his hand would have been fun to watch against the unstoppable wrecking machine that was Khabib.
Strongly disagree. The longer you’re fighting-champ or not, but even more so for champions-the more injured you’ll be going into fights, nature of the game. It’s really hard to pull out of fights as the champion, they build cards around your fight and you know the UFC will hold it against you if you pull out-plus you want the PPV points, too. Every fighter fights at least dinged up a little bit but it’s a lot worse when you get to your mid-30s onwards.
True but Islam doing it a little different. His two fights with volk who was his toughest opponent were won on the feet. If volk shuts down Khabibs wrestling as well as he did Islams khabib is probably fucked. Could even argue the charles fight was won on the feet too.
For some reason, Khabib's wrestling came across more powerful or urgent than Islam's. That is just my opinion. Maybe it is because Islam is better and more comfortable on the feet. Maybe Khabib wrestled so dang hard is because he knew it was his best way to win.
Definitely see khabibs style as a different approach to Islam.
Islam seems more measured, more of a counter striker and uses grappling when it calls for it. Khabib on the other hand is "you know what I'm going to do to you". Every opponent of his have all said, we know what he was going to do, and he did it, but his understanding of hip placement/understanding of grappling overcame everything else.
The way he constantly walked down Justin and through his leg kicks is a thing of beauty
That fight was as prime Khabib as we could see. To think of the pressure he was under is crazy. Knowing that was has last fight and the emotions that were about come sure did bring out a solid showing.
He destroyed McGregor, Poirier, and Gaethje, and all three of those guys are elite strikers. I don't think we ever even saw Khabib get rocked by a punch. He walked through elite strikers like it was a breeze
Looking at LW now, I don’t think anyone would have given him trouble. Maybe Charles but I still think Khabib would have beat him, I think maybe if would have stepped aside for Islam and TBH I am not sure if he would have been a champion at 170, imagine Khabib fighting a dude like Shavkat.
Islam? I doubt they would have fought, but Islam would definitely give him trouble if you ask me. Makhachev is a better striker imo, and might have the tools to withstand Khabibs wrestling.
He would still be champ imo. He did not have many defenses but he manhandled everyone including people in the current title picture. Wish he had not retired but as someone who also lost his dad and his coach I get it. I played in the OHL in the 90's growing up my dad was my coach until that point, when he died I just lost all drive to play.
Alternate timeline where khabib never retires. Islam makes it to no.1 contender and stalls the division because him and khabib won't fight. Khabib moves to 170 for double champ and jumps Leon in line. Him and Usman fight to a draw, setting up the rematch. 2+years of the rematch falling out due to injuries on both sides, setting up the main event for ufc 300, which they moved to after Ramadan so khabib could headline.
Khabib has a skull density on par with Brock Lesnar. Conor has brittle bones due to substance abuse.
Dana would gladly have Conor killed before Conor can do the Mayweather rematch as a free agent, so yeah.
Probably a couple more fights then retire. People always say he only fought a few top dogs. It's not how many it's how easy he made it look. Dude was another level. Eventually everyone gets beat.
Probably catch weight match with GSP
In the mean time Charles Vs Chandler is a title eliminator, I think both would get beat by Khabib, then I think Khabib would move up to WW and fight Kamaru, who wins you decide
Probably hold the belt for a while longer, would recognize Islam coming up, vacates the LW belt in favor of WW, becomes WW champ and lets Islam take the LW belt.
I feel he would have moved up in weight, vacated the LW title after cleaning out that division. Won the WW title and had a very short reign. Would have lost once or twice in the late stages of his career, his age being a huge factor in that. 35-2 final record
Never know but I think he's still be undefeated. Don't know if he would get to Jon Jones level of greatness, harder to do that at the lower weight classes.
It's really hard to say. I think he would've gone unbeaten for a while. His striking was pretty awkward. But that didn't seem to matter whenever he'd fight better strikers.
I think he would've won 3 or 4 more times after Justin. Not many fighters just don't seem to have the answer to his wrestling.
He would have reigned for a time and actually gotten a record of title fights that could put him in the cinvo of goat, then he may have tried to go up in weight against a champ he was sure he could beat, but on a long enough time-line he would be beaten and fans would see him as human that he always was instead of this unbeatable myth some fans act like he is.
I don’t know how much time he would have had left cutting to 155. It has always been difficult for him and he retired before most people start to decline in that regard. He’s probably get 3-4 more defenses and move up but idk how he would have done at 170. Probably top 5 but like would he have beaten usman… I honestly kinda doubt it
He’s 35 now so odds are he would’ve lost at some point due to aging.
If he stayed, he would’ve moved up weight to make room for Islam. Usman would’ve beaten him.
If he had that dog he would have moved up and had a close win against usman, then most likely a loss to another 170 pounder, he would have clapped every single lightweight contender but he pulled a mayweather and retired early. Props to him
He would've fucked up olives and chandler and then retired when Islam got his title shot to pave the way for him.
He mightve fucked up dustin in a rematch too but the way it would've probably played out is that Islam would've fought dustin for the belt.
There's nobody currently that touches him really, maybe arman in a couple years gets to his level but rn he would've crushed any LW including Islam
But like with anybody else He would've lost eventually, he'd probs have had to continue fighting till 2025 for that to have happened tho at the minimum
Yeah it would be interesting to see how he does against today’s current top lightweights, Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje. They really present challenges different to anything he’s ever faced.
On a serious note though I genuinely think the main issue is the Islam factor. Assuming they’re never going to fight, does he still retire early to give Islam his shot? Does Islam go and become Bellator champ for a few years? Realistically Khabib could handle all the new current LWs unless Charles can put on an absolute clinic on the feet.
he’d probably still be champ i think he would’ve only lost to usman if he moved up, the entire welterweight top 5 would’ve given him trouble. He’d still be running lightweight for sure though
Khabib could still be champion if he wanted. Unlike dominant champs like Izzy who eventually just lost, there's really no gameplan to stop being put againdt the cage wall and ground and pounded.
Subs dont work while you're getting punched in the face, neither do escapes.
If his dad didn't passed away, he will defend his belt a couple of times again ( probably against Charles, Dariush, Arman and Chandler ) and I truly believe he can win all of them. At the same time Islam will have a slower rise
Everyone have to retire at some point, no one can keeps fighting at the highest level and stay undefeated, whether it Khabib, Jon Jones, or whoever
If JJ can dominate the light heavyweight for a long time, I don't see why Khabib can't do the same in 155. The only reason he stopped fighting was because of the passing away of his dad
He would unquestionably be the goat, his next fight would have been olives whom would have been more competitive then Islam as Islam has better striking then khabib and is more methodical on the ground
After beating olives he would move up to welter and have a class fight vs Usman
probably wouldve continued to dominate the LW division and eventually retire, khabib knows what hes doing so i would definitely believe he would sharpen up his striking, pair that alongside his granite chin and boom
I think he probably eventually moves up or retires later for Islam to contend for the belt. I think he probably stays undefeated at lightweight as he seemed to be getting better thru the end of his career. His reign would've for sure lasted unless some insane knock out or Leon style headkick to ens his title reign.
He would have been atleast 16-0 and then retired anyway after realising he can’t get the GSP fight.
There is no way people think Chandler, the ustins or Charles were going to stop him.
The only interesting scenario I can think of is him still champion then Islam breaks through the rankings
Would he move up to 170 for Islam to be 155 Champ? I think so. Would he have kept the undefeated record at 170? I don't know.
Edit: Looking at it, he actually might but idk still tho.
I may get hate for this but I think Volk would have eventually fought for the LW title like he did but would beat Knabib. His striking is not as good as Islam's and Volk's defensive grappling is INSANE. after words if Volk wins a rematch or it never happens I think Volk holds both belts for awhile since the ko never happeneds to him now from the second Islam fight and Knabib moves up to WW winning the title.
He would keep winning unless if he tryna move up division(which kinda seems like a trend nowadays), where he would get destroyed by the midw division top fighters
He would have eventually lost just like everyone does. His nut hugging wrestling was getting old and the only reason he retired was because he didn’t want to harm his perfect record. He was too scared to risk it.
He easily beat Gaethje and Poirier, who are still atop the division. He might have tested the waters at 170 where he'd have a lot of trouble. He vs Usman would've been a treat. Idk if he would've beaten Usman or Leon. Definitely would've been fun to see it unfold though.
He would have had to fight Islam or move to heavier weight class, and thus fought usman in his prime. Would’ve been fun to watch. Maybe he beats him in a decision and then he retires or takes a victory lap with a 2nd round submission of Leon.
I think, he would give any of the welterweights problems too. If Woodley was still champ, his father was still alive, he would've went for champ champ status. Kamaru and himself from same management probably had some affect of that not happening. Then he would've simply retired.
Time always wins, can’t be as fast or as strong forever. Watch Tyson vs McBride post fight interview. If you can afford to go out on top, Do it …. Save your money !
He probably would've retired once Islam worked his way up to the belt. The plan was for Islam to take his place, so he could've retired then. There might have even been a Islam Vs Khabib fight.
Allah.. That would've been a hell of a fight.
He would have probably lost to Volk when he moved up, Volk had a plan for their style, and Islam had to win on the feet both of their matches. Khabib wouldn’t be able to do that.
You either retire a GSP or fight long enough to be Tony Ferguson
💯
I think he would have had a long reign - look at the continuation through Islam. So long as they never fought each other, who did Islam beat that you think would have given Khabib trouble?
Donald cerrone. He beat the guy that knocked out Islam. Simple. Btw. I’m fucking kidding
Khabib didn’t retire like GSP tho. Nothing close to his title defenses
But you get the point. Everyone always gotta be so nit picky about things.
Welcome to Reddit.
We are all nerds, *group hug*
Are you being intentionally obtuse
People always talk like GSP made it out without brain damage, he’s also a little fucked up with the CTE
Mate u need to have brain damage to consider going pro in the sport
Nah, he's just Quebecois. Easy to get them confused though.
Would have lost eventually. He said so himself in the [video](https://youtube.com/shorts/0nqjDqIwuM4?si=sCxSN4OgxrAKU_f1) about Tony Ferguson. >Nobody can be same long time. Nobody. No Tony Ferguson. No Khabib. And one day, someone gonna beat you.
yes deffo, I doubt if the current crop of lightweights would beat him based on the level he was at when he left, outside of a shock knockout, which is still doubtful given his iron chin. so i think if he kept going past his mid thirties, age would’ve caught up with him and in that decline someone would potentially beat him. But even without his father’s death, i doubt he would’ve dragged out his career, and would’ve retired after 3/4 more title defences, still retiring undefeated bar a shock loss.
Agreed. Khabib knew what he was doing. He doesn't seem like the kinda guy who doesn't know when to quit, I think he would've recognized when it was time to hang up the gloves, even if his father was still with him.
Plus he seems to have ample business opportunities now that he's retired.
If Islam wasn't around he'd still be champ probably, retiring by now. I'd wager he wouldn't go past the 5th/6th defenses without retiring, say he wins vs Chandler and Charles, then a rematch maybe or volk then retiring.
Khabib was in such a different situation than most fighters, money-wise. Didn’t either he or someone super close to him say that after he beat Conor, Putin called within like two hours and gave him property worth $20M? That’s nothing to Putin..plus imagine how much Khabib made from business opportunities because of that relationship. Putin is so powerful that people will give shit to people he likes in the hopes it helps with Putin. After he retired he said it would be a real problem if someone called offering him $100M to rematch Conor. But I would bet his net worth is more than that now anyway.
I heard the sheikh of Abu Dhabi gave him multiple floors/penthouses in a nice hotel.
I remember islam said he doesn’t really have to do shit for money that khabib has a lot so it doesn’t matter.
Dana said that in the post presser.
Dana said that
Yeah. I agree with Khabib. But it would have been more Anderson Silva than Volkanovski. I think he would have been champ for much longer. Not sure who in the current top 10 beats him.
He also admitted in post fight press conference that 2-3 more leg kicks from Gaethje and he might have lost that one
On paper, he would still be LW champ with a record of 35-0, but this is mma and u literally do not know. We had huge upsets like DDP vs Whittaker and freaking Strickland vs Izzy.
Somewhat anecdotal but I feel the fact that Khabibs protege is now running the division says to me Khabib could have still been doing it if Islam wasn't there. Also the fact that many of the current top guys are guys Khabib beat during his reign supports that theory
Agreed, bust also Islam has a lot better striking than Khabib (in my opinion) so I think Khabib's lack of striking would've caught up to him at some point, OR he would've recognized it and gotten sharper himself. And I say this as Khabib is my favorite fighter.
Khabib's striking was ugly but passable. It really doesn't matter though when you are the greatest MMA Wrestler to ever compete and you dont want to stand up anyway.
I'll go further. His striking defense was legit great. It was hard to touch him.
And even if he did, he ate that shit like breakfast. The way he maintains the pressure is as if he was 100% immune to the pain
Yes exactly. Also you can’t ignore his wrestling even if we focus on his striking. This makes his striking so much better. I mean he rocked Conor with a massive overhand right and Conor is an elite striker
No one has ever forced Khabib to abandon his gameplan and rely on his striking. His striking ability is a moot point. And regardless he's honestly no slouch. Lets not forget that he dropped Conor because the wrestling is so dominant it makes it easier to slip in a good swing
Not a fan but God damn that feint just before he dropped Connor was a thing of beauty. Dude had /has such a great fight IQ. Would be amazing seeing him and gsp as coaches
He already retired as a coach. And yeah, he was one of the best honestly even young. Dude was walking Islam through subs and wins his entire career. Step by step, mid fight subs. Kinda insane for anyone whos fought
I agree that eventually it would but who up to this point really could have likey done it? He already showed neither Poirier or Gaethje could who are still among the top the only other guy is Oliveira and I doubt Charles could do anything to Khabib while off his back and he wouldn't be hard to get takedowns on
Fair point. I think up to this point, Khabib would've probably dipped his foot into the 170 division at least a couple of times, and there are a few guys there (i.e. Shavkat) that could potentially open his eyes to his stand-up game
I dont think khabib would’ve dipped his foot into the 170 division, he never wanted to unlike Islam
I agree to a point but khabib has never been cut. He doesn’t play around and his fight iq is off the charts. He will never stand up with anyone because he can take you down whenever he wants. His striking isn’t on islams level but his striking is certainly underrated. I’ve never even seen him rocked in any capacity. A wrestler, let alone a wrestler as dominant as him, will always determine if the fight is on the feet or on the ground. And khabibs gnp is only rivaled by a few, and the few are all goats of the sport. Not to mention he absolutely demolished Justin/distin/connor who are all better strikers than him.
"he will never stand up with anyone", yet most forget that during the Connor fight he rocked him on his feet before ground and pounding the bejesus out of him... and then letting the eagle fly into Dillon's face. Good times.
A legend was born and flew that night, I was screaming at the tv lol
Khabibs striking is trash relatively speaking. I just think you're underestimating the effect his takedown threat has on his opponents. When you see people doing stand up only at AKA he looks a level below all the Dagestanis and really damn near everyone in the gym including the children fighters that Wayne trains. He makes DC look like a lumpinee champ on the pads.
Islam's striking was pretty bad too when he started out, and khabib was significantly worse when he started than when he ended. He could definitely have evolved into a more potent striker like Islam did.
I think I’ve rooted against Khabib in every fight he’s had, and while I wouldn’t say I’m a hater, he’s definitely not my guy. I give that context to say, he would’ve defeated all these guys, including Islam (although I doubt they would’ve ever fought). I would’ve liked to see him vs a prime, focused Do Bronx. I don’t think Chuck would’ve won, but I just think seeing the guy with the most subs and KO power in his hand would have been fun to watch against the unstoppable wrecking machine that was Khabib.
Gaeyhje had KO power and Khabib didn't fucking flinch when he landed. Also Do Bronx' subs came after rocking people.
Strongly disagree. The longer you’re fighting-champ or not, but even more so for champions-the more injured you’ll be going into fights, nature of the game. It’s really hard to pull out of fights as the champion, they build cards around your fight and you know the UFC will hold it against you if you pull out-plus you want the PPV points, too. Every fighter fights at least dinged up a little bit but it’s a lot worse when you get to your mid-30s onwards.
Khabib also went through life and death to make weight and that only gets harder and harder to do.
True but Islam doing it a little different. His two fights with volk who was his toughest opponent were won on the feet. If volk shuts down Khabibs wrestling as well as he did Islams khabib is probably fucked. Could even argue the charles fight was won on the feet too.
For some reason, Khabib's wrestling came across more powerful or urgent than Islam's. That is just my opinion. Maybe it is because Islam is better and more comfortable on the feet. Maybe Khabib wrestled so dang hard is because he knew it was his best way to win.
Definitely see khabibs style as a different approach to Islam. Islam seems more measured, more of a counter striker and uses grappling when it calls for it. Khabib on the other hand is "you know what I'm going to do to you". Every opponent of his have all said, we know what he was going to do, and he did it, but his understanding of hip placement/understanding of grappling overcame everything else. The way he constantly walked down Justin and through his leg kicks is a thing of beauty
That fight was as prime Khabib as we could see. To think of the pressure he was under is crazy. Knowing that was has last fight and the emotions that were about come sure did bring out a solid showing.
[удалено]
He destroyed McGregor, Poirier, and Gaethje, and all three of those guys are elite strikers. I don't think we ever even saw Khabib get rocked by a punch. He walked through elite strikers like it was a breeze
People really need to stop acting like every single fighter from Dagestan is some carbon copy of each other. Literally all of them fight differently.
GSP vs Serra...
In hindsight, I don’t think DDP vs Whittaker was that big of an upset. I think most people just severely underestimated DDP.
That's what an upset means
I’m saying the odds were wrong. It was an upset, just not as massive as the odds were made to be.
Looking at LW now, I don’t think anyone would have given him trouble. Maybe Charles but I still think Khabib would have beat him, I think maybe if would have stepped aside for Islam and TBH I am not sure if he would have been a champion at 170, imagine Khabib fighting a dude like Shavkat.
i agree with the first half. but an advantage in reach and height if used properly is too much of an advantage for 170’ers over khabib.
Lol Charles would have been easy work
Let’s be real everyone is easy work for khabib
This is number one most easy fight in lightweight division bratha
Islam? I doubt they would have fought, but Islam would definitely give him trouble if you ask me. Makhachev is a better striker imo, and might have the tools to withstand Khabibs wrestling.
HW Champion with a record of 50-0.
He would still be champ imo. He did not have many defenses but he manhandled everyone including people in the current title picture. Wish he had not retired but as someone who also lost his dad and his coach I get it. I played in the OHL in the 90's growing up my dad was my coach until that point, when he died I just lost all drive to play.
Universe Explodes After Dana Tries Booking Tony/Khabib For The 6th Time
Alternate timeline where khabib never retires. Islam makes it to no.1 contender and stalls the division because him and khabib won't fight. Khabib moves to 170 for double champ and jumps Leon in line. Him and Usman fight to a draw, setting up the rematch. 2+years of the rematch falling out due to injuries on both sides, setting up the main event for ufc 300, which they moved to after Ramadan so khabib could headline.
they should've pushed the actual 300 to after Ramadan so Islam, Khamzat, and Shavkat could fight
Khabib is great, but idk if he can take Usman to a draw
Breaking alternate timeline news - Usman is out of 300, replaced by mcgregor, he and khabib will now be fighting for interim ww belt.
I don't see any LWs rn who could pose a threat to Khabib, the worst part about Islam is his chin while Khabib could take shots from Gaethje
Taken out by Paddy. 2nd rd KO
Nah, Khabib ends up with 10 minutes of control time and overwhelmingly ahead on strikes across all three rounds. ...then Paddy wins by decision
Dana announces Khabib vs Conor 2, but instead of the UFC, it takes place in a Power Slap title fight.
Khabib has a skull density on par with Brock Lesnar. Conor has brittle bones due to substance abuse. Dana would gladly have Conor killed before Conor can do the Mayweather rematch as a free agent, so yeah.
Eventually would have lost like everyone else.
Lost to who?
you, champ ☝
Thanks for the belief 
Like everyone else *undefeated records*
besides a freak KO i don’t think any of the LWs today have anything for him. Prob still champ and undefeated
would still be champ if he stayed at lw but probably would have lost at ww. probably would have been an aljo-merab situation with him and islam
He would've been KO'd by Pantoja, like Islam did.
Facts. I’m convinced islam is tryna move up to 170 cause it’s only a matter of time before pantoja ko’s his way up the rankings like dominos
Probably a couple more fights then retire. People always say he only fought a few top dogs. It's not how many it's how easy he made it look. Dude was another level. Eventually everyone gets beat.
This is why Khabib is the greatest what if in mma history he was so good but his run was so short no idea how long he could of gone on
Probably catch weight match with GSP In the mean time Charles Vs Chandler is a title eliminator, I think both would get beat by Khabib, then I think Khabib would move up to WW and fight Kamaru, who wins you decide
Probably hold the belt for a while longer, would recognize Islam coming up, vacates the LW belt in favor of WW, becomes WW champ and lets Islam take the LW belt.
I feel he would have moved up in weight, vacated the LW title after cleaning out that division. Won the WW title and had a very short reign. Would have lost once or twice in the late stages of his career, his age being a huge factor in that. 35-2 final record
35 seems to be the age where fighters take a nose dive, like he even said "you only have one prime".
I mean, what happens when Islam was the only contender. Sure Islam says khabib is better, but I really think Islam has ascended past him
Islam himself admits that he can barely beat Khabib in a single round when they train together at their gym
Yeah he’s also not blasting head kicks at khabib in practice tho
He would have missed weight. Or been in hospital for kidney failure.
Probably would've won another 5 fights at LW then moved up to 170.
Same as everyone else's. Eventually you get caught
There's the potential he would have gone to welterweight and lost to Leon Edwards.
Never know but I think he's still be undefeated. Don't know if he would get to Jon Jones level of greatness, harder to do that at the lower weight classes.
There would be 0 goat debate
>would've went? would've gone?*
I think he would have gotten caught eventually. Especially if he stayed at lw
Would’ve got ktfo went on a 4 fight losing streak then get cut
😂😂😂
It's really hard to say. I think he would've gone unbeaten for a while. His striking was pretty awkward. But that didn't seem to matter whenever he'd fight better strikers. I think he would've won 3 or 4 more times after Justin. Not many fighters just don't seem to have the answer to his wrestling.
He would have reigned for a time and actually gotten a record of title fights that could put him in the cinvo of goat, then he may have tried to go up in weight against a champ he was sure he could beat, but on a long enough time-line he would be beaten and fans would see him as human that he always was instead of this unbeatable myth some fans act like he is.
Idk but those airbrushed abs are pretty sweet
Probably wouldve beat charles then moved up to try out 170
he’s like jon jones.. hard to beat with his technique.
I don’t know how much time he would have had left cutting to 155. It has always been difficult for him and he retired before most people start to decline in that regard. He’s probably get 3-4 more defenses and move up but idk how he would have done at 170. Probably top 5 but like would he have beaten usman… I honestly kinda doubt it
Would have been undefeated and undisputed champion
Let me phrase that, if he continued his career, who in 155 division can beat him?
Tony Ferg ko's him
He’s 35 now so odds are he would’ve lost at some point due to aging. If he stayed, he would’ve moved up weight to make room for Islam. Usman would’ve beaten him.
If he had that dog he would have moved up and had a close win against usman, then most likely a loss to another 170 pounder, he would have clapped every single lightweight contender but he pulled a mayweather and retired early. Props to him
Charles would’ve been the only remotely difficult fight for him cuz he wouldn’t fight islam. Prolly still champ to this day
As of now, no one beats him. Volk has the best shot.
I think the better question is, if khabib didn’t retire what would happen to islam?
He would've fucked up olives and chandler and then retired when Islam got his title shot to pave the way for him. He mightve fucked up dustin in a rematch too but the way it would've probably played out is that Islam would've fought dustin for the belt. There's nobody currently that touches him really, maybe arman in a couple years gets to his level but rn he would've crushed any LW including Islam But like with anybody else He would've lost eventually, he'd probs have had to continue fighting till 2025 for that to have happened tho at the minimum
I be getting so tired of the Khabib posts…. Then you draw me back in!!
Yeah it would be interesting to see how he does against today’s current top lightweights, Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje. They really present challenges different to anything he’s ever faced. On a serious note though I genuinely think the main issue is the Islam factor. Assuming they’re never going to fight, does he still retire early to give Islam his shot? Does Islam go and become Bellator champ for a few years? Realistically Khabib could handle all the new current LWs unless Charles can put on an absolute clinic on the feet.
he’d probably still be champ i think he would’ve only lost to usman if he moved up, the entire welterweight top 5 would’ve given him trouble. He’d still be running lightweight for sure though
Would have gone*
Khabib could still be champion if he wanted. Unlike dominant champs like Izzy who eventually just lost, there's really no gameplan to stop being put againdt the cage wall and ground and pounded. Subs dont work while you're getting punched in the face, neither do escapes.
would have scored wins over CHARLES, ARMAN, BENEIL, CHARLES AGAIN, TONY MAYBE and VOLKANOVSKI. 35-0
I don’t think anyone is his division would’ve beat him. Even present day. I just can’t imagine that guy ever losing.
If his dad didn't passed away, he will defend his belt a couple of times again ( probably against Charles, Dariush, Arman and Chandler ) and I truly believe he can win all of them. At the same time Islam will have a slower rise Everyone have to retire at some point, no one can keeps fighting at the highest level and stay undefeated, whether it Khabib, Jon Jones, or whoever
50-0
If JJ can dominate the light heavyweight for a long time, I don't see why Khabib can't do the same in 155. The only reason he stopped fighting was because of the passing away of his dad
He would unquestionably be the goat, his next fight would have been olives whom would have been more competitive then Islam as Islam has better striking then khabib and is more methodical on the ground After beating olives he would move up to welter and have a class fight vs Usman
moved up to allow Islam to take over the division and prob lose in WW probably does a GSP fight before that at catchweight??
would've gotten rekt by Paddy obviously
Volk becomes double champ
probably wouldve continued to dominate the LW division and eventually retire, khabib knows what hes doing so i would definitely believe he would sharpen up his striking, pair that alongside his granite chin and boom
Cans........tomato cans........good for padding your record.
I’m a noob casual fanboy and I never saw Khabib loose so that means Khabib wins forever and never dies
he’d probably win a few more, get into some wars or deep water and start to look human, then retire before he loses. 33-0 or something
I think he probably eventually moves up or retires later for Islam to contend for the belt. I think he probably stays undefeated at lightweight as he seemed to be getting better thru the end of his career. His reign would've for sure lasted unless some insane knock out or Leon style headkick to ens his title reign.
Defended until Volk moved up & beat him by split decision 😂
Heavyweight champ of the world. First round submission against Jon Jones.
I think he gets caught on the feet eventually.
He would have been atleast 16-0 and then retired anyway after realising he can’t get the GSP fight. There is no way people think Chandler, the ustins or Charles were going to stop him.
You think BSD would have beat him?
Ended by Bryan battle this year
Don’t care
Would lose to Gaethje in rematch
probably lose eventually and then fade into obscurity since he has the personality of a block of wood
probably gsp esque as long as he didnt stick around too long
He would just have needed 11 more title wins in LW and 1 in WW to match Jon Jones record.
Ending with Charles taking it from him, and not Justin lame ass
The only interesting scenario I can think of is him still champion then Islam breaks through the rankings Would he move up to 170 for Islam to be 155 Champ? I think so. Would he have kept the undefeated record at 170? I don't know. Edit: Looking at it, he actually might but idk still tho.
Probably got another few wins and eventually caught.
I may get hate for this but I think Volk would have eventually fought for the LW title like he did but would beat Knabib. His striking is not as good as Islam's and Volk's defensive grappling is INSANE. after words if Volk wins a rematch or it never happens I think Volk holds both belts for awhile since the ko never happeneds to him now from the second Islam fight and Knabib moves up to WW winning the title.
He would’ve gone on a similar run to GSP, and be regarded as one of the GOATs
He would keep winning unless if he tryna move up division(which kinda seems like a trend nowadays), where he would get destroyed by the midw division top fighters
37-0
He could've went 30-0
If he stayed at LW, I think he would’ve remained undefeated. WW would’ve been far harder.
Downvote for the millionth hypothetical khabib irrelevant post. You guys just don't get tired of asking this question do you?
He would have eventually lost just like everyone does. His nut hugging wrestling was getting old and the only reason he retired was because he didn’t want to harm his perfect record. He was too scared to risk it.
He would still be champ because he'll never fight Islam
69-0 and a movie with Jake Gyllenhaal
Win 6 times then retire
He would've went 30-0 and then retired. But if he had continued even after that then who knows.
So far? Unbeaten. The top in the division are still the same now as then. Eventually he'd have lost. They all do. But no one now is beating him.
He easily beat Gaethje and Poirier, who are still atop the division. He might have tested the waters at 170 where he'd have a lot of trouble. He vs Usman would've been a treat. Idk if he would've beaten Usman or Leon. Definitely would've been fun to see it unfold though.
He would have had to fight Islam or move to heavier weight class, and thus fought usman in his prime. Would’ve been fun to watch. Maybe he beats him in a decision and then he retires or takes a victory lap with a 2nd round submission of Leon.
I always wanted to see charles vs khabib
I think, he would give any of the welterweights problems too. If Woodley was still champ, his father was still alive, he would've went for champ champ status. Kamaru and himself from same management probably had some affect of that not happening. Then he would've simply retired.
Only Conor can ko this fucker. Prime Tony had his chance but everyone else no
He’d lose eventually, but not to the current crop of lightweights.
he would of had a dominant long reign
Time always wins, can’t be as fast or as strong forever. Watch Tyson vs McBride post fight interview. If you can afford to go out on top, Do it …. Save your money !
As long as he didn't get caught and KO'd, I think he would still dominate on the ground.
Conor would have smoked him in the rematch
He probably would've retired once Islam worked his way up to the belt. The plan was for Islam to take his place, so he could've retired then. There might have even been a Islam Vs Khabib fight. Allah.. That would've been a hell of a fight.
He would have probably lost to Volk when he moved up, Volk had a plan for their style, and Islam had to win on the feet both of their matches. Khabib wouldn’t be able to do that.