The Nurmagomedov dilemma: Why being connected to Khabib Nurmagomedov is both a blessing and a curse
Khabib Nurmagomedov is one of the greatest fighters in MMA history. He had one of the sport's most heated rivalries with Conor McGregor, which occasionally echoes their animosity, largely from the Irishman. Moreover, he retired undefeated after equaling the UFC lightweight title defense record.
The dominance he exhibited inside the octagon has led to him becoming the stuff of legend, with many in pursuit of the mythical 29-0 record. Due to his fame and success, there is now significant interest in anyone who comes from the school of Dagestani wrestling and is in some way connected to him.
In fact, it is no longer necessary to be personally connected to him. Now, the MMA world frequently compares him with anyone from the Caucasus, especially if they wrestle. In some ways, this can be a blessing, especially for those who have close ties to him. However, in other cases, this is often a curse.
The rewards of being associated with Khabib Nurmagomedov
Three immediate names come to mind when the boons of an association with Khabib Nurmagomedov are discussed: Khamzat Chimaev, Islam Makhachev and Umar Nurmagomedov. Following 'The Eagle's' retirement from MMA, a vacuum of interest emerged.
There had never been anyone like the ex-lightweight champion before, so when he retired at the peak of his powers, anything that resembled him drew interest from a fandom eager to fill the void with a 'new Khabib.' This became the entire point behind Chimaev's rise to stardom.
Of course, his exploits in the cage were fundamental. After all, he was dominant and undefeated, but this only drew comparisons to 'The Eagle,' with Chimaev being briefly called 'KhaBig' early in his UFC run. He's a strong wrestler, undefeated, dominant, Muslim, and sports the beard and no mustache look.
All of these aforementioned traits are synonymous with Nurmagomedov. While Chimaev eventually carved out his own reputation, especially with his quick turnarounds, the initial spark of interest in him was largely due to how strongly he resembled Nurmagomedov.
On a more tangible note, Makhachev has had quite a career because of his mentor. The reigning lightweight champion earned a title shot after beating a short-notice Bobby Green of all people, at catchweight, no less. To make matters even more head-scratching, Green was unranked at the time.
Meanwhile, Makhachev was ranked No.4 at lightweight. Before that, he had beaten the then #9 ranked Dan Hooker, and the list goes on. He defeated no one ranked inside the top five or even the best of the top 10, yet he was given a title shot, largely due to being seen as Nurmagomedov's protégé.
No one else would have been given a title shot for wins over such forgettable competition. Even promotional favorite Sean O'Malley had to beat former champion Petr Yan to earn his title shot. Speaking of the bantamweight division, Umar Nurmagomedov is another.
'The Young Eagle' recently beat the formerly No.2-ranked Cory Sandhagen, a fight he earned by beating no one ranked inside the top 10. Now, with his win over Sandhagen, his only win over a ranked opponent, Nurmagomedov has become a title challenger.
These are all opportunities that are unlikely to have taken place without 'The Eagle's' connection, direct or otherwise, to the aforementioned fighters, given the Dagestani legend's closeness with UFC CEO Dana White.
The consequences of being associated with Khabib Nurmagomedov
Unfortunately, being linked to Khabib Nurmagomedov isn't always positive. The specter of his dominance and undefeated record looms large over everyone. 'The Eagle' wasn't just unbeaten, he barely ever even lost a round, losing just two rounds in 29 fights, with both rounds being extremely competitive.
He has dominated virtually everyone he has faced, making his opponents seem helpless and reducing great champions to mere paper tigers at the mercy of a storm. Sadly, this dominance is now expected of everyone who is, in any way, connected to him. Those who fail to live up to his legacy are often scrutinized.
Khamzat Chimaev is one example. He is not an associate of 'The Eagle's', but they know of each other, and 'Borz' has been compared to him since his very first UFC fight. So, when the unbeaten Chechen faced Gilbert Burns, many used the closeness of the fight to take away from Chimaev's win.
Nurmagomedov, they said, never had such close fights. Nurmagomedov has never been rocked or cut, and he has never bled nor been made to look mortal. Chimaev, though, has been. Since many expect him to look unstoppable, like Nurmagomedov did, the impressive nature of his wins is often dismissed.
He went from beating the likes of Li Jingliang directly to beating 'Durinho' and former welterweight kingpin Kamaru Usman in a massive step up in competition. However, because he didn't run through them, questions about his level have been asked, and to a degree, rightfully so.
Similarly, when Islam Makhachev had a very competitive fight with former featherweight titleholder Alexander Volkanovski, many were quick to point out that Nurmagomedov was never made to look that beatable, or beatable at all, in any of his fights. Even before that, Makhachev's standing was scrutinized.
Despite the reigning lightweight champion having a more rounded skill set than Nurmagomedov, the fact that he had lost once before when he was knocked out by Adriano Martins in his sophomore UFC fight led many to claim that he was not as good a fighter as his mentor was.
While that tune has since changed somewhat, it followed him for much of his UFC run. Being associated with Nurmagomedov or even compared to him can lead to opportunities and interest, but it can also lead to unfair expectations, and that in itself is unjust to fighters carving out their own legacies.