UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev is well on his way to becoming an all-time great. This is not an easy task since he has lived most of his professional life in the shadows of Khabib Nurmagomedov, whom some consider to be the greatest ever to do it.

And with Makhachev well on his way to equal and possibly even overtaking Khabib’s legacy, the world is curious about his life and origins. After all, the Makhachkala native prefers to keep his personal life private. To the point that even his parents’ names remain unknown despite Makhachev being one of the most popular combat sports athletes in the world!

That is why almost no one would be surprised to learn that Makhachev is getting his own Netflix documentary, the champ’s training mate and friend Abubakar Nurmagomedov has revealed. This honor, of course, is reserved for only the biggest stars in the sport, such as Conor McGregor.

The biggest-ever MMA star, of course, was the subject of a multi-episode mini-series documentary titled ‘McGregor Forever’ that was released on the world’s biggest streaming platform last year. In addition, Khabib is also getting a Netflix documentary, titled ‘The Eagle’ that is set to release this fall. Like McGregor’s docuseries, Khabib’s documentary, too, will primarily document Khabib’s martial arts journey, with a little bit of focus on his family life and childhood.

And Makhachev being the third after the two biggest stars in the sport just shows how much cache and star power the reigning lightweight champion has accrued through his continuing success. And that success has brought him shoulder-to-shoulder with his mentor and best friend at least in sporting terms.

Islam Makhachev catching up to Khabib Nurmagomedov rapidly

Islam Makhachev is on the cusp of overtaking Khabib Nurmagomedov. Not in terms of popularity since ‘The Eagle’ remains one of the biggest names in sports despite having hung up the fingerless gloves four years ago. But, the reigning champ, who is Khabib’s close friend and true successor has already broken some of the most notable records the former champ has set in his illustrious UFC stint.

The most prominent of which is that Makhachev has overtaken Khabib’s thirteen-fight win streak in the UFC, winning his fourteenth-straight bout in June of this year. Of course, the 32-year-old isn’t undefeated like his childhood friend, who retired with a spotless record. But that doesn’t take away from Makhachev’s achievement in any way. After all, this is MMA and Makhachev has only suffered a freak knockout loss more than a decade ago, when he was just starting his UFC stint.

In addition, with three successful title defenses, (the latest coming against Dustin Poirier on UFC 302 earlier this year) Makhachev is tied with ‘The Eagle’ in defending the 155-pound crown. Again, a proviso is in order here. Khabib tearfully retired in 2020 right after his third title defense in his absolute prime, because of a promise he made his mother after his father passed away due to Covid. However, Makhachev does have time on his side and has plenty left to win many more fights and make many more title defenses, even realizing his dream of becoming a two-division champ.

And a fair comparison between the two Dagestanis lightweight champs could only be made after Makhachev calls it quits. But he certainly is on the right trajectory. What would you like to see in Khabib and Makhachev’s upcoming documentaries? Let us know in the comments section below.