How Many Title Defenses Does Khabib Nurmagomedov Have in UFC? How Does It Compare to Jon Jones and Georges St-Pierre?

Published 11/09/2023, 10:03 AM EST

A large chunk of UFC fans will happily include the likes of Khabib Nurmgomedov, Jon Jones, and Georges St-Pierre for a debate about the GOAT of MMA. All of these massive MMA icons have earned the respect of fans with their incredible in-octagon prowess. Although there are numerous successful MMA icons, these three share a common point that places them in a completely different league than the other fighters.

Most fans won’t even consider someone a part of the GOAT debate if they have never won a championship. They may already know that all three of these held the divisional championship title within their UFC careers. But the fact that makes them different is that they never lost their title due to a defeat inside the Octagon. Instead, all three of them vacated their titles due to various reasons. But do you know how many title defenses each of them boasts? Let’s go for a tally.

A comparison between the title defenses of Khabib Nurmagomedov and Georges St-Pierre

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The noted former UFC lightweight champ, Khabib Nurmagomedov, is the only fighter among the three who boasts an undefeated record in his pro-MMA career. He earned his first UFC lightweight title shot against Al Iaquinta, at UFC 223 in 2018.

‘The Eagle’ earned a unanimous decision victory against Iaquinta proclaiming himself as the UFC lightweight champion. But he defended his title only three times. Almost every UFC fan knows that his first title defense against Conor McGregor at UFC 229 stands as the highest-selling PPV in the history of the promotion.

The Dagestani’s final title defense came against the noted ‘BMF’ of the UFC, Justin Gaethje, at UFC 254 in 2020, following which he declared his retirement. On the contrary, Georges St-Pierre may not boast an undefeated record like Khabib. But he boasts three times the number of title defenses that Nurmagomedov has.

GSP won the UFC welterweight gold at UFC 65, only to be defeated by Matt Serra at UFC 69. However, he regained the title in their rematch at UFC 83 in 2008. The Canadian native defended the title nine times, the last of which came against Jake Shields at UFC 129 in 2011.

Where does Jon Jones stand in this comparison?

Well, pretty much on top. There’s a reason why the noted UFC color commentator, Joe Rogan, addressed ‘Bones’ as the “Greatest Of All Time”, during their UFC 295 in-Octagon interview. If GSP boasts triple the number of title defenses as Khabib does, then adding up the counts of both of these will give us the number of title defenses that Jon Jones has.

The 36-year-old is also the current UFC heavyweight champ, apart from his first light heavyweight title reign from March 2011 to April. However, he also had a second title run from December 2018 to August 2020. During this championship reign, he defended his title a record fourteen times against several noted UFC stars like Quinton ‘Rampage Jackson, Chael Sonnen, Daniel Cormier, and many more.

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However, most fans may know that a number of untoward incidents outside the UFC have tarnished Bones’ legacy severely. The only loss that he has had in his pro-MMA career came from an illegal elbow strike at the UFC’s TUF 10 finals. Hence, many fans consider ‘Bones’ to be undefeated as well.

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Well, now that you have up-to-date knowledge about the title reigns and defenses of these noted UFC icons, who would you keep at the top of your list as the greatest fighter among these three?

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Written by:

The coveted scrap between Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson in 2002 was when I realized the passion for combat sports within my family. My interest in combat sports began watching scripted pro wrestling shows. It was my father who directed me towards combat sports and it wasn’t until the late 2010s that I discovered the world of MMA and the UFC.

Edited by:

Abhishek Kumar Das

How Many Title Defenses Does Khabib Nurmagomedov Have in UFC? How Does It Compare to Jon Jones and Georges St-Pierre?

A comparison between the title defenses of Khabib Nurmagomedov and Georges St-Pierre

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Where does Jon Jones stand in this comparison?