Since the retirement of Khabib Nurmagomedov from MMA, fans have been speculating that Islam Makhachev will be the next one to dominate the UFC lightweight division.
Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov are very similar. Both have strong wrestling and grappling, which makes them unstoppable inside the octagon. However, Makahchev is more technical when it comes to striking. Besides that, Khabib has a higher pace compared to Makhachev. But, the biggest difference between the two has to be their approach to the game.
In a recent podcast with Mike Swick, Coach Javier Mendez detailed the biggest difference between Makhachev and Nurmagomedov’s ground game and said:
“Khabib is meaner. He is mean… Khabib’s like this, when he controls you, it’s kinda like his whole body controls you. His legs, his toes, his arms, everything locks on to you, you know. Islam is a little, slightly different approach. But with Khabib it’s just like, you feel like every part of his body is preventing you. And he knows what you are going to do next. He has already got the counter to the counter. He is ahead of you. Islam is a little bit smoother in how he does these transitions. But they are both unbelievable on the ground.”
Who is Islam Makhachev fighting next?
Though Makhachev is good on the ground it can not be said that he is as good as Khabib Nurmagomedov. So far Islam Makhahcve has not fought a top lightweight in the UFC.
His last fight was against Thiago Moises who is not a huge threat if the fight goes to the ground.
However, Islam’s next fight is going to be the toughest test of his career yet. Makhahchev takes on Rafael Dos Anjos, who also fought Khabib Nurmagomedov when he was on the rise.
Khabib Nurmagomedov comfortably won the fight against Rafael Dos Anjos with his elite grappling. However, Makhachev has to follow a different game plan.
RDA will be able to successfully defend the early takedowns from Islam Makhachev and there will be a lot of striking involved in the early part of this three-round fight. And RDA can do some serious damage on the feet against Makhachev,
Now a three-round fight will favor Islam Makhachev as RDA would have pushed the pace in the 4th and 5th round. Nevertheless, it should be a good test for Islam Makhachev.