Image credit: Khabib's Instagram
UFC lightweight champion and UFC pound-for-pound ranked #1 fighter Islam Makhachev and former unbeaten lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov are two of the most dominant champions in UFC.
Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev were childhood friends and trained together in the Russian republic of Dagestan under the tutelage of Khabib Nurmagomedov's father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.
The Eagle made his UFC debut in 2012, and Islam Makhachev joined the UFC three years later in 2015, racking up an undefeated record.
Khabib Nurmagomedov was the first boxer to rise through the ranks at lightweight, eventually winning the UFC lightweight championship. After the Eagle clashed with Conor McGregor, he became an instant superstar.
The Eagle announced his retirement from UFC and mixed martial arts in 2021. He relinquished his championship title with an illustrious 29-0 record in mixed martial arts.
Shortly after Khabib's career ended, Islam Makhachev rapidly rose through the rankings. By 2022, Makhachev faced former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira and brought the UFC lightweight championship back to his home town of Dagestan.
Martial arts fans and experts often compare the mixed martial arts styles of Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagoemdov and debate which one is better.
Recently, Javier Mendez, head coach of Khabib Numuragomedov and Islam Makhachev, gave an interview to the YouTube channel “The Schmo” where he revealed that Islam Makhachev is more refined in mixed martial arts than Khabib.
Javier Mendes revealed, “To be honest, Khabib was not a great striker from the beginning. So Islam came in as a pretty good striker. So he was already better than Khabib. He was better than Khabib in the striking department. In the overall department, I don't know if there will be a player better than Khabib. Technically speaking, Islam was a better striker than Khabib from the beginning.”
Dustin Poirier chooses Khabib Nurmagomedov over Islam Makhachev
This month at UFC 302 pay-per-view, UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev defended his title against former interim UFC lightweight champion Dustin Poirier, and the bout between the Diamond and the Russian champion was a hard-fought one.
Dustin Poirier and Islam Makhachev fought for 22 minutes, with Poirier proving to be the toughest opponent for Islam Makhachev.
Islam Makhachev grabbed Poirier's legs in the fifth round, took him to the ground with a school wrestling sweep, then quickly turned around and grabbed Diamond by the neck, forcing him to surrender and choke him to retain his championship belt.
Dustin Poirier is a fighter who has had hard-fought battles with both Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov, making him the perfect candidate to compare Makhachev to Nurmagomedov.
Diamond recently interviewed Ariel Helwani following his fight against Islam Makhachev at the UFC 302 pay-per-view and chose Khabib Nurmagomedov over Islam Makhachev.
Dustin Poirier said, “The takedowns are different, but the pressure is similar. The takedowns are very different. He (Islam Makhachev) goes for the upper body a lot. He kept trying to clinch with me, but Khabib goes for the lower body. I think Khabib is physically stronger. Islam's squeeze is amazing.”
See alsoIslam Makhachev reveals if Khabib Nurmagomedov will be in his corner for every UFC fight? More details below
