Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev
Dagestanis Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev train at coach Javier Mendez’s AKA gym
Khabib Nurmagomedov left a lasting legacy in the sport following his retirement in October 2020. The Russian retired with an undefeated record that stood at 29 wins and no losses.
Although, his protege Islam Makhachev has a loss to his name, he is considered to be the successor to the ‘Eagle of Dagestan.’
With a record of 20 wins and just one loss, Makhachev is often compared to Khabib as well.
In a recent episode of coach Javier Mendez’s live-stream podcast on YouTube, Mendez answered several fan questions.
When asked who the better overall striker was, between Khabib and Makhachev, Mendez sided with Makhachev, but went on to state that Khabib’s boxing was better than Makhachev’s.
Mendez also added that Makhachev was the one who had more weapons in his arsenal.
He was quoted as saying:
“Overall striking, yes. Better boxing? Khabib just put together the boxing, I would say [Makhachev is] a little bit behind. Khabib’s boxing was pretty damn good at the very end. People never got to see it because I was always on him to grapple instead of punch. Because he was so dominant on the ground. But overall, being able to use more weapons, Islam is the most proficient out of all of them…The whole combo, Islam is the most well-rounded. But as far as just the actual striking on the boxing level, out of all of them I have to put Khabib number one.”
Islam Makhachev will be taking on Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 267 on the 30th of October. The news was confirmed by ESPN and other MMA outlets after dos Anjos had reported the same, a couple of weeks ago.
Makhachev, is coming off a fourth-round submission win over Thiago Moises in the main event of UFC Vegas 31. He hasn’t lost since October 2015.
Rafael dos Anjos, the former lightweight champion, last faced the now-retired Paul Felder in November 2020. He won the fight via. split decision.
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