In the combat sports world, Dagestani fighters hold a unique status, with Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s camp having a supreme reputation. However, this camp is always targeted by opponents and other MMA fighters. Last year, UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev was accused of cheating by Conor McGregor, who shared a clip from the fight after Makhachev’s knockout of Alexander Volkanovski in UFC 294.

Recently, Australian grappler and BJJ black belt competitor and coach Craig Jones exposed Islam Makhachev’s and Khabib’s illegal use of their gloves by sharing a compilation of old videos and breaking them down in a recent social media post.

Khabib’s camp’s strategy exposed by Craig Jones

Craig Jones is considered one of the greatest submission grapplers currently. Over the past few years, he has coached grappling to high-profile MMA fighters like Alexander Volkanovski. Additionally, he hosts his tournament called ‘The Craig Invitational’ (CJI), which provides direct competition to the ADCC World Championship.

In his latest Instagram video, Craig Jones exposed Khabib’s camp by uploading and crediting the video to an Instagram handle named “Bondiasss.” In the video, a voice-over explained how the cheating occurs, “He concedes risk and control, and then sneaks his fingers in like he’s 13 at the movie theater, right? That’s illegal. You can’t lock your hands. Don’t cheat, man. What do we have here/ A glove a referee won’t see? Ambitious call out to holds. That’s illegal.”

Days before accusing Islam Makhachev and his mentor Khabib of cheating, Jones offered his insight to analyze the reasons why the former was such a dominant grappler before his fight against Dustin Poirier at UFC 302.

Craig Jones on why Islam Makhachev is a dangerous Grappler

Islam Makhachev has been referred to as “Khabib 2.0” since his debut in the UFC, because of his close relationship with Khabib Nurmagomedov. He trained under Khabib’s father since his teenage years, and now Khabib himself coaches him. In addition to his striking skills, Makhachev also possesses the grappling prowess of ‘The Eagle’ making him a complete fighter.

In an interview with Morning Kombat last month, Craig Jones, who has consistently been the grappling coach for former UFC lightweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and was also in his corner during his fight with Islam Makhachev, highlighted the grappling power of Makhachev. He emphasized, “The leg ride’s amazing. He puts himself in positions where you can’t put the base of your feet on the ground. If you can’t put the base of your feet on the ground, you can’t hip-escape, you can’t do those traditional jiu-jitsu style movements.”

What are your thoughts about Jones’ latest Instagram post? Do you think his accusations are correct? Drop your views in the comments below.