Daniel Cormier: No one is as dominant as Khabib
In a recent episode Good guy/bad guy Cormier, along with Chael Sonnen, weighed in on the comparison between Makhachev and Nurmagomedov.
“When you look at the comparison, you see how dominant they are,” Cormier said of Makhachev and Nurmagomedov. “They're 28-1 in their UFC careers, with 17 finishes. It's ridiculous. I don't think it's fair to compare them, especially based on a common opponent, because I think Dustin Poirier was better because he had the opportunity to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov. He had the strength, the grappling, and a little bit of awareness of what he was going to face when he went into the Octagon. I was one of the people that said early on, 'I think Islam Makhachev is more dangerous than Khabib,' striking-wise. But when you really think about it, I don't know if we'll ever see a guy as dominant as Khabib…
“How many times have you seen Khabib Nurmagomedov not look dominant on the outside?” Cormier continued. “I think that makes a difference. I don't know what would have happened if Khabib had stayed a little longer, but if you look at history, I think he'd still have the championship. He'd defend the title eight or nine times and still be dominant. Dominance is different. I think Islam would be on my side more than Khabib, but the idea was that Khabib knew what he was going to do to me and there was no way he could stop it.”
Nurmagomedov retired with a 29-0 mixed martial arts record, including wins over Conor McGregor, Justin Gaethje and Poirier. He retired in 2020 after his win over Gaethje and the tragic death of his father, Abdulmanap.
Makhachev is undefeated since losing by knockout to Adriano Martins at UFC 192. He has won 14 straight bouts and has risen to the No. 1 spot in UFC's pound-for-pound rankings.
Cormier feels there are some similarities between Nurmagomedov and Makhachev's career trajectories, but believes the debate is settled when considering Nurmagomedov's dominance inside the cage.
