Who has been the more dominant fighter in the UFC, Khabib Nurmagomedov or Islam Makhachev?
Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov have been friends and training partners since their days in Dagestan.
Both Makhachev and Khabib used to initially train under the tutelage of Khabib's father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov. Now, the 29-year-old has followed the former UFC lightweight champion into the American Kickboxing Academy, where they both train under head coach Javier Mendez.
Due to a strong resemblance in their fighting styles, Islam Makhachev has often been compared to Khabib. In fact, many believe that Makhachev could outdo the legend in the stand-up aspect of a fight.
Coaches at the AKA, including 'The Eagle' himself, have never been shy of stating their title aspirations for Makhachev. As the Dagestani prepares to take on Thiago Moises in a lightweight main event on Saturday night, let's see how Makhachev's UFC stats compare to Khabib's.
While Khabib announced his retirement after 13 fights in the UFC, Islam Makhachev has had nine outings in the promotion so far. However, the 29-year-old registered a loss in his second UFC fight, unlike Khabib, who retired with a perfect 13-0 UFC record.
It is interesting to note that Khabib received a shot at the lightweight strap in his 10th UFC outing, while Islam Makhachev takes on #14-ranked Thiago Moises in his.
Although Islam Makhchev's career is yet to peak, Khabib has a huge advantage over him in terms of octagon experience. While Khabib recorded a total of 171:55 minutes in the cage, Makhachev has spent 86:41 so far. The difference also manifests in their overall control time. While Makhachev has had an impressive 45:32 minutes so far, Khabib recorded a daunting 97:47 minutes of control time.
While Islam Makhachev is believed to have developed a stronger striking game, Khabib outpoints him 4.1 to 2 in terms of significant strikes landed per minute. However, Makhachev appears to have a stronger defensive game since he absorbs lesser signifact strikes compared to 'The Eagle'.
But Khabib betters Islam Makhachev considerably in terms of takedown average. While Makhachev has a slight 0.2 advantage in terms of submission average, it is almost negligible with respect to a grappler like Khabib.
Khabib Nurmagomedov expects Islam Makhachev to take over
Khabib has always been vocal about his title aspirations for Islam Makhachev.
After Makhachev's unanimous decision victory over Davi Ramos at UFC 242 in 2019, Khabib left his title beside Makhachev and called him a 'future champion'.
Expecting his teammate to carry on his legacy folowing his retirement, 'The Eagle' told ESPN in an interview:
"Now, everybody talks about Dustin, Conor, Chandler, Justin, Oliveira. But by the end of the year, it's gonna be changed. I don't think anyone can beat [Makhachev] right now. He will run [the division]."