Askren: McGregor Out Of Conversation
Ben Askren recently revealed his list for who he had in the discussion of being the GOAT of mixed martial arts — and it didn’t include Conor McGregor.
It was McGregor himself who started the debate when he recently started a Twitter thread ranking who he felt were the GOATs of the sport, notably putting himself at second.
That led to many others giving out their lists and contenders, including Askren.
“7 People in discussion for MMA GOAT. Some have much better cases than others, but all have cases. Fedor and BJ would have had cases had they retired earlier.
“GSP Anderson DJ Khabib Jon Jones DC Henry”
So why did “Funky” omit or rather, not include McGregor in his list?
“Conor never defended either of his belts and loss to Nate Diaz takes him out of conversation,” Askren added.
Conor never defended either of his belts and loss to Nate Diaz takes him out of conversation https://t.co/mycSeFhKL8
— Funky (@Benaskren) May 25, 2020
Askren not having McGregor in his list isn’t a surprise.
After all, the Irishman is rarely mentioned in the discussion of who the GOAT is, at least compared to the likes of Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva or Jon Jones. His lack or absence of title defenses is a key factor as many believe that along with general longevity contributes to a fighter’s legacy.
However, it is certainly interesting that Askren adds McGregor’s defeat to Nate Diaz as a factor.
