Henry Cejudo names fighter stylistically "closest" to Khabib Nurmagomedov , and it's not Islam Makhachev
Khabib Nurmagomedov had a legendary career in mixed martial arts, retiring with an undefeated 29-0 record and earning a place in the UFC Hall of Fame. While his best friend and longtime training partner Islam Makhachev has drawn plenty of comparisons to 'The Eagle', Henry Cejudo believes that Belal Muhammad is actually the fighter that is stylistically closest to the former lightweight champion.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, the former double champ stated:
"Stylistically, the way that Belal Muhammad – what he did to Gilbert Burns and how he did it to him, he's only gotten better and I will say this, man, the closest person to a guy like Khabib Nurmagomedov, his name is actually Belal Muhammad. They do the same kind of cross steps. They kind of run and shoot. They do the same kind of feints with that lead hand to eventually level change for the takedown."
Cejudo praised Muhammad, claiming that he has improved tremendously since his first meeting with Leon Edwards, adding:
"I’m going to have to go back and rewatch their fight the first time and see how that actually went, but I will say this - they both have gotten better, but if there's one person that I would say that has evolved more than the other, his name is Belal Muhammad. He's just gotten so, so freaking much better. He's a freestyle fighter."
Check out Henry Cejudo's comparison of Khabib Nurmagomedov and Belal Muhammad below (starting at the 0:54 mark):
While there have been rumors that Muhammad may get a title opportunity against Edwards at UFC 300, nothing has been made official. The pair previously clashed in 2021, with the bout ending in a no-contest after an accidental second round eye poke rendered 'Remember the Name' unable to continue.
Ali Abdelaziz lists current fighter who has a harder time finding an opponent than Khabib Nurmagomedov
Ali Abdelaziz served as Khabib Nurmagomedov's manager and has taken the same role with many of his teammates. He recently took to X claiming that finding an opponent for Umar Nurmagomedov, who is cousins with 'The Eagle', is tougher than it was for the UFC Hall of Famer, stating:
"@UNmgdv so much harder to get a fight then even Khabib I’ve been in this game over two years. I never seen this before."
Check out Ali Abdelaziz's tweet on finding an opponent for Umar Nurmagomedov below:
Despite spending much of the past year calling out every top-ranked bantamweight, 'Young Eagle' competed just once. He did, however, have a bout with Cory Sandhagen scheduled before withdrawing due to a shoulder injury.