Islam Makhachev vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov, Who Is the Better Fighter? Finishes, Records, Fighting Style and More

With the date for UFC 302 getting closer, the excitement for the fight between Islam Makhachev and Dustin Poirier is palpable. It is going to be Makhachev’s third title defense. But for Poirier, it is the final shot at trying to claim the championship belt. With a single defeat in his resume of 26 fights, Makhachev obviously seeks to get the win. ‘The Diamond’ has the same intention. However, the current lightweight champion has an ace up his sleeve.

Days before the fight, Khabib Nurmagomedov swooped in to help the Dagestani champ in his next title defense. Given his experience in defeating Poirier, ‘The Eagle’ is indeed of great help for the champ. But how would Islam Makhachev fare if we did a comparison between him and his mentor? Let’s find out.

Islam Makhachev’s wins, finishes, and title defenses in the UFC

Makhachev currently boasts a record of 25 wins and a single loss. He is currently running on a 13-fight winning streak. Out of the 25 fights that he has won, only 9 are via decision, leaving the rest 16 as victories by finishes. Without a doubt, the fighter has a good proficiency in grappling with sambo as his forte. Owing to that, he has won 11 fights via submission, 5 of which happened in the very first round. Taking a look at his records, it does seem like Makhachev is pretty fond of rear-naked chokes, armbars, and triangle holds. However, he has also displayed his grappling prowess with a kimura which he defeated Dan Hooker with.

Makhachev isn’t too far behind in the striking game either. He has won 5 bouts by KO, and surprisingly, all of them happened in the first round. Be it punches or kicks, Makhachev is nothing less than formidable. Defeating a Brazilian with a submission is an achievement in itself, and Makhachev did just that when he submitted Charles Oliveira via an arm triangle choke in the second round. This got him the UFC lightweight championship belt. 

But the story didn’t end there. He has successfully defended his title twice against Alexander Volkanovski. The Australian mixed martial artist gave Makhachev a tough competition in their first bout at UFC 284. However, it was the Russian who won via decision.

Makhachev then defended his title for the second time against Volkanovski at UFC 294, winning the bout with a KO as he downed ‘The Great’ with a kick to the head. Furthermore, he also became the pound-for-pound number one. Makhachev has faced some dangerous opponents with Volkanovski being the toughest of them all. Now, let’s shine some light on his mentor.

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s impressive unbeaten record

Khabib Nurmagomedov, proclaimed the ‘Greatest MMA Grappler of All Time’, has remained unbeaten throughout his career in the mixed martial arts cage. With 29 fights recorded in his resume, all of them were victories. Becoming the lightweight champion was simply the norm for Nurmagomedov as he easily dominated the Octagon and snatched the championship belt from Al Iaquinta at UFC 223. Being the grappling expert, Nurmagomedov has also won 11 fights via submission. One of the famous and fan-favorite submissions was when he tapped out ‘The Notorious’ Conor McGregor with a rear naked choke, at UFC 229. This was his first successful title defense.

Then came Dustin Poirier. Infamous for his guillotine choke, even ‘The Diamond’ couldn’t survive against ‘The Eagle’. In the UFC 242 main event, Nurmagomedov defended his title for the second time as he defeated Poirier with a rear naked choke in the second round. Finally, his last successful title defense was against Justin Gaethje at UFC 254. Needless to say, the Dagestani mixed martial artist displayed his superior grappling prowess and tapped Gaethje out with a triangle choke in the second round. 

Following his victory over Gaethje, Nurmagomedov decided that it was time for him to retire from the Octagon. He retired with an undefeated record, with 13 of the wins coming from the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Years later, Nurmagomedov became the first entity to replace Dana White and honor the victor by wrapping the belt around Makhachev’s waist at UFC 280. But what about the bouts that Nurmagomedov and Makhachev fought outside of UFC?

How many wins does the Dagestani pair have outside the UFC?

Before coming to the UFC, Islam Makhachev fought under the banners of Tsumada FC, M-1, Lion’s Fights, FroFC and Siberian Fighting Championship. Makhachev won all of his previous fights. To add to his accolades, Makhachev has also won a sambo competition in 2013.

On the other hand, Nurmagomedov also fought in M-1 Global and won 3 bouts. He also has an undefeated record at ProFC, with 6 wins under his name. Apart from those, he has also won fights at Tsumada FC, Golden Fist of Russia, CSFU: Champions League, and Atrium Pankration Cup. Undeniably, his sambo ensured his victory over most of his opponents.

With the date for UFC 302 just a few days ahead, Makhachev gets ready to match his mentor’s title defenses with a third successful title defense. Whether he would win or lose is something that only time can tell. But the excitement in the MMA community is palpable indeed, don’t you think?