Demetrious Johnson has come out and said it: he thinks Islam Makhachev is better than Khabib Nurmagomedov. While there have been sparse posts on Reddit and other fan forums about this topic, no one of not has said Makhachev is better than ‘The Eagle’. However, ‘Mighty Mouse’ feels that there are certain strengths that the reigning champ possesses, which put him over the GOAT contender. And ahead of Makhachev’s third title defense at UFC 302 on June 1 against Dustin Poirier, let us take a look at the reasoning behind the ONE flyweight champion’s hot take.

A long-time UFC flyweight champion, ‘DJ’ left the UFC in a trade with Bellator as he felt the UFC-led promotion was not able to market him correctly. Because of his bona fide credentials and unimpeachable understanding of the fight game, his analysis holds immense significance and value. This is why his recent statement about Makhachev being a “better version” of Khabib Nurmagomedov carries so much weight.

Speaking to veteran journalist Ariel Helwani, ‘Mighty Mouse’ revealed Makhachev had better footwork and even better grappling (at a technical level) than his friend and mentor, Nurmagomedov. “I think Islam is a better version of Khabib. I think he moves better on the feet. I think his grappling is a little bit better than Khabib’s, but he is not as aggressive as Khabib,” Johnson said.

The one aspect where the former lightweight champion left the current lightweight champion in the dust was their aggression in the octagon. Nurmagomedov was famous for stalking his opponents, walking them down until he inevitably grabbed hold of them (all the while taking his opponents’ best shots) and proceeded to maul them there with his legendary strength and grappling abilities.

It was because of the dominant and aggressive, almost predator-like manner in which he dealt with his opponents that ‘The Eagle’ is considered among the greatest mixed martial artist ever by many. While Makhachev equals and even beats his friend and mentor in other technical aspects of the sport, this type of aggression and killer mentality to hunt down his opponent is not quite as pronounced in Makhachev’s fighting style, as the champ prefers a more cautious and deliberate approach to dealing with his opponents.

However, there is one particular (and most obvious) aspect that even the dynamic Dagestani duo’s coach Javier Mendez has admitted the reigning lightweight champ does better than the former lightweight champ, which ‘Mighty Mouse’ failed to mention.

Coach on why Makhachev is a better striker than ‘Khabib’

Owing to his proximity and extensive time spent training the duo, who can be a better judge of the strengths and weaknesses of both Islam Makhahev and Khabib Nurmagomedov than their head coach, Javier Mendez? The former kickboxer has had a long and fruitful association with the two Dagestani champs until ‘The Eagle’ bid a tearful farewell to the sport back in 2020, while Makhachev is still active.

“Islam was smart enough to train with other people, he has great coaches at home that are working with him. His striking is further ahead than Khabib’s ever was, only because of the fact that Islam was working year-round on his striking,” Mendez told MMA Junkie in an interview last year.

Mendez talked about how Nurmagomedov had no striking and wasn’t much interested in training his stand-up game until he joined the AKA. To the point that when in Dagestan (where he was most of the year), ‘The Eagle’ wouldn’t even bother sharpening his striking. This, according to the coach, was thankfully not the case for Makhachev, who did train striking diligently, with the results apparent in his recent fights. And with Makhachev’s legendary discipline and work ethic, it is not surprising to see he has left his friend and mentor behind in striking.

Who do you think is better between Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov? Drop your pick in the comment section.