Anderson Silva: ‘I Think Khabib Nurmagomedov is the Best’ Fighter in the World

Former middleweight champion Anderson "The Spider" Silva held the 185-pound title for a record 2,457 days. He's widely considered the greatest fighter of all time. Silva's been out of action since February 2017, but expects to return to the Octagon next year. While not actively fighting, Silva continues to watch the sport. Two fighters stand out to the 43-year-old Brazilian legend: Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor. "Khabib is a great fighter. I’m very impressed. Conor is a great fighter. Having a new generation of fighters, especially in the UFC… this is a huge company that’s worked for a long time to get the great fighters in the sport," said Silva in an interview with Inquistr.

McGregor became the third two-division champion in UFC history when he knocked out Eddie Alvarez to capture the lightweight title at UFC 205 in November 2016. He was stripped of the belt after the conclusion of UFC 223 in April due to inactivity. Nurmagomedov won the title that night by defeating late replacement Al Iaquinta by unanimous decision. On Aug. 3, it was announced that McGregor would return at UFC 229 in Las Vegas to face Nurmagomedov in the Oct. 6 pay-per-view event's headlining bout. Silva didn't make a prediction for the fight's outcome, but he did weigh-in on who he thinks is the better fighter. TRENDING > Oscar De La Hoya Aims to Upend MMA and ‘Pay Fighters What They Deserve’ "I think Khabib is the best, here, in this moment," said Silva. Nurmagomedov has yet to lose a fight. He is 26-0 overall with 10 of those victories occurring in the Octagon. He puts all that on the line, as well as the undisputed UFC lightweight title, when he meets McGregor at UFC 229.