5 reasons why Islam Makhachev should not be compared to Khabib Nurmagomedov

This weekend sees the return of lightweight sensation Islam Makhachev. He’s set to face off with Dan Hooker in a key bout on the main card of UFC 267.

Islam Makhachev has been compared on numerous occasions to his friend and teammate Khabib Nurmagomedov, but are these comparisons really fair?

The truth is that despite the close relationship and similarities between Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov, comparisons between the two probably don’t do any good for either man.

Here are five reasons why Islam Makhachev should not be compared to Khabib Nurmagomedov.

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#5. Comparing Islam Makhachev to Khabib Nurmagomedov might put too much pressure on him

Constant comparisons to Khabib Nurmagomedov must pile the pressure onto Islam Makhachev's shoulders

The UFC has seen plenty of great lightweight fighters enter the octagon over the years, from B.J. Penn and Kenny Florian to Conor McGregor, Eddie Alvarez and Dustin Poirier.

Khabib Nurmagomedov, though, probably stands above all of them as the greatest lightweight of all time. His record of 29-0 is basically unparalleled in the division’s history. His list of victims, names like Poirier, McGregor and Justin Gaethje, reads like a who’s who of fellow great 155lbers.

Naturally then, every burgeoning fighter in the division would love to emulate Khabib’s accomplishments. Right now, it seems like Islam Makhachev is the man who most fans expect to be able to do so. Is this really fair to Islam Makhachev? The correct answer is no.

Firstly, Khabib’s accomplishments would be difficult for any fighter to live up to, even for one of his teammates who is supposedly just as talented as he is. Secondly, and more importantly though, it’s difficult to begin to imagine the kind of pressure that this comparison must be placing upon Islam Makhachev’s shoulders, however much he might deny it.

Islam Makhachev seems to be expected to live up to the lofty standards of ‘The Eagle’ every time he steps into the octagon. By attempting to do that, there’s every chance that the Dagestani fighter might simply choke under the pressure.

Therefore, comparisons between Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov may be detrimental to the former’s career and ought to be stopped.

#4. Comparing anyone, even Islam Makhachev, to Khabib Nurmagomedov is disrespectful to his legacy

It could be seen as disrespectful to compare anyone to the great Khabib Nurmagomedov

While comparing Islam Makhachev to Khabib Nurmagomedov may load pressure onto the shoulders of the former fighter, such comparisons could also be seen as highly disrespectful to the achievements of 'The Eagle'.

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s reign as UFC lightweight champion may not have lasted a massive length of time, just under three years to be exact, but in that period, he achieved a massive amount of success.

‘The Eagle’ made three successful defenses of his title, defeating Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje to tie a UFC record in the process. He also finished all three of his title defenses before the final buzzer.

Add these wins to his previous ones over the likes of Al Iaquinta, Rafael dos Anjos and Edson Barboza, and it’s easy to see why most UFC fans rank ‘The Eagle’ as the greatest lightweight in UFC history. With an overall MMA record of 29-0, in fact, it’s arguable that Khabib Nurmagomedov’s accomplishments stand alone and can never be matched by any UFC fighter, at least not in the near future.

Therefore, to compare any fighter to him, even if it’s one of his friends and teammates like Islam Makhachev, seems more than a little disrespectful.

Essentially, there’s only one Khabib Nurmagomedov and it’s unlikely that anyone will achieve what he did inside the octagon, not even Islam Makhachev.

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#3. Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov aren’t all that similar inside the octagon

Islam Makhachev has been described as a smoother grappler than Khabib Nurmagomedov

While Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov fight out of the same training camp, come from the same area of Russia and look alike enough to have some fans asking whether they’re related, the duo aren’t actually that similar inside the octagon.

Sure, they do rely primarily on their takedowns and their wrestling to win their fights, but outside of that, they’re very different fighters. Firstly, Khabib Nurmagomedov relied heavily on his speed, pressure and ability to close the distance to get his opponents to the ground, usually with slams or double leg takedowns from the outside.

Islam Makhachev, on the other hand, will often look to clinch with his foes in order to throw them down, as we saw when he tossed Leo Kuntz with a judo throw in his UFC debut. Unlike Khabib, he’s much more methodical with his wrestling game.

On the ground, again, the two are different. In fact, their coach at the American Kickboxing Academy, Javier Mendez, discussed the differences in a recent interview. Mendez stated that while Islam Makhachev is a smoother grappler in terms of his transitions, he isn’t as “mean” as Khabib Nurmagomedov.

This would explain their different styles on the mat. Islam Makhachev has shown a penchant for advancing position and looking to lock up submissions during his UFC tenure. Khabib Nurmagomedov, meanwhile, instead focused more on ground-and-pound and beating his opponents into submission instead.

Essentially, it’s easy to compare Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov due to their background, but the difference in their styles renders such comparisons largely moot.

#2. Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov have very different personalities

Khabib Nurmagomedov was always underrated when it came to his trash talk

Another area in which Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov differ greatly is in their personalities. Despite looking similar and hailing from the same area, their outlook on things seems to be very different.

For years, MMA fighters hailing from Russia were stereotypically believed to be stoic, silent killers who let their fighting skills do the talking for them. This reputation was probably built on the back of fighters such as Fedor Emelianenko, Igor Vovchanchyn and Oleg Taktarov.

Khabib Nurmagomedov, on the other hand, was always different. While ‘The Eagle’ was not a trash talk extraordinaire like Conor McGregor or Chael Sonnen, he always demonstrated huge self-confidence and wasn’t afraid to throw barbs at his opponents, often subtly.

Fans will remember his infamous “if sambo was easy, it’d be called jiu-jitsu” t-shirt prior to his 2012 fight with Thiago Tavares. However, Khabib also became known for talking trash to his opponents during his fights. Most notably, he verbally battered Michael Johnson at UFC 205 just as badly as he was physically beating him.

With this considered, it’s easy to understand how Khabib Nurmagomedov became such a huge star for the UFC. While he wasn’t the most vocal fighter, he definitely had plenty of charisma in his own right.

Islam Makhachev, on the other hand, is right out of the Fedor school of seriousness. The lightweight star is completely stoic, rarely gives lengthy interviews and is almost never heard talking trash about his opponents.

In fact, his opponent this weekend, Dan Hooker, has outright spoken about his lack of trash talk, stating that it’s clear that Islam Makhachev prefers to let his manager Ali Abdelaziz do his talking for him.

Essentially, it simply shows that Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov are very different people outside the octagon, rendering comparisons between them a little futile. It also suggests that unfortunately for the UFC, the 31-year-old is unlikely to replicate the star status of the former 155-pound king.

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#1. The “new” tag rarely works for any fighter in the UFC

Labelling Islam Makhachev as the "new Khabib" could be more of a curse than a blessing

Islam Makhachev is constantly labeled as the “new Khabib Nurmagomedov.” Perhaps the biggest reason for avoiding comparisons between the two is that the “new” tag rarely works for fighters in the UFC.

Simply put, every UFC fighter, even if they look, sound or fight in a similar manner to another, is unique in their own right. Comparing a newer fighter to a more successful older one usually goes badly.

Take Rory MacDonald, for instance. ‘The Red King’ debuted in the UFC in 2010 at the age of just 20 and rapidly earned comparisons to his illustrious teammate, then-UFC welterweight kingpin Georges St-Pierre.

Despite a different fighting style, MacDonald simply couldn’t shake off the tag of the “new GSP.” While he had some success, the pressure appeared to get to him at times and he often lost his most important fights, failing to repeat the success of his teammate.

The same could easily be said for Philippe Nover and Uriah Hall, who were labeled the “new Anderson Silva” after viral knockouts but completely failed to live up to that tag. The same goes for Goran Reljic, who was called the “middleweight Mirko Cro Cop” only to flame out in the UFC.

Essentially, to label Islam Makhachev the “new Khabib” is almost the equivalent of putting a curse on him, judging by previous examples of such tags.

He’d be far better off if UFC fans would simply look at him as the first Islam Makhachev and stop these comparisons altogether, before they become too difficult for him to ever live up to.