Colby Covington and Khabib Nurmagomedov have exactly the same number of takedowns after 13 UFC fights
Across each of their 13 fights in the UFC, Colby Covington and Khabib Nurmagomedov have secured the same number of takedowns.
Many different styles and techniques have dominated the UFC landscape over the last few decades, and wrestling has been at the forefront for quite some time now. Several fighters across the UFC spectrum invest in their wrestling and utilize it in an effective way, with Colby Covington and Khabib Nurmagomedov being two prime examples of that.
Colby Covington is 11-2 in the UFC. Khabib Nurmagomedov, prior to his retirement from mixed martial arts, went 13-0, with many regarding him as the greatest lightweight of all time.
As it turns out, the two men mirrored each other in even more ways than many initially realized.
In their 13 respective fights, both Colby Covington and Khabib Nurmagomedov secured 61 takedowns apiece. Given their records in that time, it’s safe to say their wrestling played a decent role in helping them get near the top of their divisions. Colby Covington will hope to join Khabib in becoming a UFC champion next month when he takes on Kamaru Usman at UFC 268.
The difference between Colby Covington and Khabib Nurmagomedov
While the numbers between both men are very similar, the actual execution of their wrestling techniques are pretty different.
Colby Covington is known for taking his opponents down but not working in much ground-and-pound in the process. In addition, he doesn’t hold gus foes down for quite as long as Khabib, opening up the door for more work on the feet.
Khabib, meanwhile, spent his later years in the UFC hunting submissions and finishes more so than in the past. 'The Eagle' was also able to keep fighters down for much longer periods of time, but whenever a bout did go the full three or five rounds, he controlled almost every second of those contests.
Either way, Colby Covington and Khabib Nurmagomedov have a lot to be proud of.