"Ultimately he’s better than Makhachev” - Khabib Nurmagomedov declared superior to Islam Makhachev by Georges St-Pierre’s coach
Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev will go down in history as arguably two of the most dominant lightweights of all time. Given their incredible success in the sport and the close nature of their friendship, the pair have been and will continue to be compared as fighters for many years.
Whilst Makhachev has been referred to as "Khabib 2.0" by coaches and teammates, Georges St-Pierre's coach, Firas Zahabi, believes that 'The Eagle' soares higher than his teammate when it comes to MMA.
Zahabi recently broke down why Khabib Nurmagomedov was such an incredible fighter while answering a fan's question about the former champion, who pointed out that 'The Eagle' has never been cut or knocked down. The Tristar gym head coach said:
"Khabib didn't care [about] getting hit. That's why I think he's better than Makhachev. Ultimately he's better than Makhachev. One, his chin is ridiculous, absurd. He's never shown any form of getting tired at all. Whereas Makhachev in Round 5 with Volkanovski, he got tired, he was on his back. I think [Khabib Nurmagomedov] is just a higher level than Makhachev."
He continued:
"I like Makhachev's striking style better than Khabib's, but I just think that Khabib is such a hard puncher, such an incredible chin, he has a good jab even though he's mechanically not sound... Khabib literally runs at you."
Catch Zahabi's comments about Khabib Nurmagomedov below:
Is Khabib Nurmagomedov in Demetrious Johnson's GOAT list?
Demetrious Johnson has now shared his picks for the four greatest MMA fighters of all time, with the likes of Jon Jones and Anderson Silva making the list.
Both Jones and Silva are regarded as trailblazers within MMA, but the same can be said for 'Mighty Mouse', as well as Georges St-Pierre, who pioneered a shoot-boxing style of fighting that is still used today.
Now, where does Khabib Nurmagomedov fit into Johnson's list? As the only UFC champion to remain undefeated, 'The Eagle' is arguably the most dominant fighter the sport has ever seen.
But Nurmagomedov did not find himself on the list of Demetrious Johnson's four best fighters, as 'Mighty Mouse' took to YouTube to share his list:
"At number two, you have yours truly, moi. Demetrious Johnson. Nobody has been able to do what I’ve been able to do in the flyweight division or in any division."
Johnson continued:
"And then, for my number one, I have Jon Bones Jones. That is the only man that I’ll put ahead of me. Because this man, I feel like, any single time he has been inside the cage, he could just destroy his opponent however he wanted."
Watch the video below from 1:45: