In a sport where everything can change in a split second, staying undefeated borders on the miraculous. That is the perspective of Daniel Cormier, former two-division champion in the UFC, when reflecting on the legacy of Khabib Nurmagomedov.
For Cormier, defeat is not a flaw in MMA — it is part of the journey. Some of his own greatest achievements came after setbacks.
In a discipline defined by stylistic clashes, injuries, and constant evolution, protecting a perfect record is extraordinarily rare.
Daniel Cormier: Khabib’s Undefeated Record Is an Exception in a Sport Built on Chaos
دانيال كورمييه: سجل حبيب الخالي من الهزائم ظاهرة نادرة في رياضة صُممت لكسر الأرقام المثالية pic.twitter.com/RJBU4CSICn
— mmamag.ma (@jamalsoussi10) February 26, 2026
That is what makes Khabib’s 29-0 so remarkable. Competing against elite opposition, he did more than win — he controlled and imposed. His suffocating grappling pressure and tactical discipline minimized risk in a sport built on unpredictability. He systematized dominance in an inherently chaotic environment.
👀Daniel Cormier believes staying undefeated like Khabib Nurmagomedov is nearly impossible in MMA.
He said:
“A lot of my greatest moments came after losses. In MMA,very few fighters keep their‘0.’Nobody stays undefeated.Khabib somehow managed to go 29-0,and that’s crazy.”
🎥@ufc pic.twitter.com/efWsADvUU9— mmamag.ma (@jamalsoussi10) February 26, 2026
The contrast is telling. Even all-time greats like Georges St-Pierre and Anderson Silva experienced defeat. Their legacies were forged through loss and redemption. Khabib, however, exited the sport at his peak, without a statistical blemish.
Cormier’s message carries deeper weight: in MMA, perfection is not the standard — it is the anomaly. And in that anomaly lies the foundation of Khabib’s enduring myth.
