Ever wanted to see Khabib Nurmagomedov with better striking? Well, that’s what his protégé Islam Makhachev has been showcasing as the UFC’s lightweight champion. And while you may not believe this, the Dagestani just left a UFC heavyweight in the dust with his powerful striking! Yes, Makhachev showed he can punch harder than Tom Aspinall.

Islam Makhachev isn’t typically recognized for his knockout power, though he has five KO/TKO victories. In fact, his coach Javier Mendez has frequently pointed out that Makhachev has serious striking skills and we have evidence that proves this.

Here’s the thing: For a long period, Francis Ngannou was known as one of the most powerful strikers in the UFC after he recorded 129k units on the PowerKube machine. But his record was shattered by Alex Pereira who recorded 191K units. Earlier this year, Tom Aspinall too decided to test his power. The result? A mere 44K units in comparison to Ngannou and Pereira’s digits!

“If [Ngannou] did 129,000, and I did 40,000, that is ridiculous stuff. I think there’s something going on then, I’m thinking about quitting!” Tom Aspinall stated after repeatedly trying to get his score higher. Now, it really does look like something was wrong with that machine because a new video shows Islam Makhachev’s punch breaking the British heavyweight’s score.

As reported by ‘Blackbelt MMA’ on Instagram, “Islam hits 106k+ on a punching machine. He did double digit and + than Tom Aspinall. The machine gotta be broken when Tom tested himself.”

This is not the first time that the Dagestani fighter has shown the incredible strength he generates with his punches. Before his fight with Dustin Poirier, a video was uploaded on X by Makhachev’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, captioning the footage, ”June 1 going down.” The clip showed the 33-year-old hyping himself up before landing a powerful left hook and taking his score to 973 on the punching machine—which was six points shy of the machine’s record.

However, the champion isn’t quite worried about such records. He is looking at the big picture ahead. He will be up against Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 311 and the latter desperately wants that lightweight belt.

Despite recovering from a hand injury, the lightweight kingpin is not taking a step back from his training and is under the watchful eyes of Khabib Nurmagomedov, who is known for his brutal training sessions. Makhachev knows that he needs to put in the work but wants Daniel Cormier to come and visit him for a rather funny reason. What is it?

Islam Makhachev wants Daniel Cormier to control ‘The Eagle’ in his training camp…

As expected, Khabib Nurmagomedov will play a significant role in training Islam Makhachev and Umar Nurmagomedov for UFC 311 and will be in their respective corners on fight night. Known for his tough and demanding coaching style, the former lightweight champion pushes his fighters relentlessly during training. Aware of this, Makhachev recently sought help from Daniel Cormier to balance things out.

The reigning champion jokingly asked Cormier to step in and control ‘The Eagle’. MMA Pros Pick shared a clip of their lighthearted exchange on their X account. During the video, ‘DC’ said, “Khabib told me he is here. He told me to tell you guys to be ready.” Makhachev was quick to respond to the news and asked the former dual champion to help him and his team out.

Makhachev with a grim smile replied, “Ya Ya he sent a message to the group. Guys, be ready. Maybe you can come join us and control him a little bit because he doesn’t listen to Javier. I always tell Javier you are the head coach. You are older than him to stop him.”

Cormier responded, “No, he’s just a psychopath nobody can control him. I can’t control him.”

The upcoming rematch between Makhachev and Tsarkuyan at UFC 311 is expected to be a slobber knocker. During their previous fight at UFC Fight Night 149 – Overeem vs. Oleynik in 2019, the Dagestani fighter won via unanimous decision.

Who do you think will win this time? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.