Khabib Nurmagomedov Makes a Bizarre Statement – Calls Beneil Dariush One of the ‘Best Lightweights in the World’

Former lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov took to Instagram, to promote the fight of his Dagestani brother Islam Makhachev. The 4th ranked UFC contender Makhachev will take on the 3rd ranked Beneil Dariush, in a five-round main event on February 26th.

Nurmagomedov posted the announcement of the fight along with the caption, “2 best lightweights in the world” to his story. Makhachev is a long-time training partner and close friend of Nurmagomedov who both live and train out of the Eagles MMA club in Dagestan, Russia.
It is uncharacteristic of Khabib to casually label someone the best in his own division. Dariush with his current win streak has been on a dream run in the recent times in UFC and it could have prompted Khabib Nurmagomedov to label him as one of the the best lightweights in the world and additionally implying that Islam Makhachev belongs to the same category.

Dariush’s victory over Tony Ferguson has given him an extra credibility to boost his resume. The win over Tony Ferguson (whom Khabib Nurmagomedov never faced) could have been the reason why Khabib Nurmagomedov called him one of the two best lightweights in the world. Regardless, one of the two win streaks shall shatter in 2022 and the victor would surely demand a title shot as a the next fight.

Ali Abdelaziz, in a recent interview with TMZ, said that Justin Gaethje is next in line to fight the winner of Olivera vs Poirier for the title. Which makes Dariush vs Makhachev a number one contenders fight.

Both fighters have significant winning streaks going into this fight. Islam boasts a 9 fight win streak after his last fight, while Dariush has a seven-fight win streak going into the matchup.

Dariush is coming into the fight after getting a dominant unanimous decision victory over former interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson. While Makhachev just submitted the formidable Dan Hooker in the first round at UFC 267.

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Islam Makhachev vs Beneil Dariush, fighter background and analysis

UFC lightweight veteran and perennial contender Beneil Dariush fights out of Kings’s MMA, California. He trains under master head coach Rafael Cordero and his BJJ black belt under Bruno Paulista and Romulo Barral. He fought the who’s who in the lightweight division, like Diego Ferreira, Michael Johnson, and Tony Ferguson.

Islam Makhachev is the long-time training partner of former UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov. He currently trains out of the American Kickboxing Academy in California under head coach Javier Mendez. Makhachev is a Russian Master of sport in combat sambo and has a well-rounded skill set predicated around getting his opponents to the mat.

Since both these fighters like to fight on the ground, this fight looks to be a high-level grappling match. Predicated on who can deploy their strategy and skill to get a dominant position to finish the fight.

Who do you think will win? Let us know.

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