Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Islam Makhachev? All-Time UFC Great Breaks Down the Battle of Dagestan
Who would win in a fight between lightweight legend Khabib Nurmagomedov and reigning UFC 155-pound champion Islam Makhachev?
That was the topic of conversation between former two-division titleholder Georges St-Pierre and head coach Firas Zahabi.
“Well, it’s hard to say,” St-Pierre said when asked who would come out on top between the two Dagestani icons. “Khabib might have a more solid game in terms of positioning, ground-and-pound, and takedowns. I say that, but I don’t know either of these guys personally. I’ve never trained with them. I’m just basing this on my analysis of their styles when I watch them fight.
“On the other side, I think Makhachev has a better submission game. I think he’s more aggressive and more opportunistic when it comes to submissions.”
Statistically, Makhachev and Nurmagomedov are fairly even regarding submission finishes. In 29 career fights, ‘The Eagle’ forced 11 of his opponents to tap out, including Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje.
On the flip side, Makhachev has 12 submission victories to his credit across 26 total wins.
khabib may have had the power, but is makhachev the better striker?
So when it comes to making their opponents tap, snap, or nap, it’s neck-and-neck. But what about striking?
“Yeah, but in the striking department, Khabib might have more power,” GSP continued. “He seems to land shots with more power, but Makhachev is longer and maybe more fluid. Maybe more fluid—perhaps, yes.
While the consensus seems to consider Makhachev the better striker, he only has five knockouts on his resume while Nurmagomedov KO’d eight of his opponents, though only two of those finishes came inside the Octagon.
In the end, ‘Rush’ thinks it’s simply too close to call between two of the greatest fighters to ever step onto MMA’s biggest stage.
“But the thing is, we cannot compare those two fights, I believe, because we never fight the same fighters twice,” St-Pierre said. “We might fight the same name twice, but it’s not the same fighter they used to be. They’ve improved a lot since their last fights, I believe. There are so many X-factors, so we can’t really compare.”