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While MMA is an individual sport, with athletes making it in the UFC off the back of their own efforts, top fighters have worked together in teams for years, with more experienced ones often mentoring younger ones.
Over the years, we’ve seen a number of fighters who were billed as protégés of established greats enter the UFC’s octagon, often to mixed results. Interestingly enough, while some of these protégés fought in exactly the same way as their mentors did, some surprisingly branched out in their own way.
Here are five UFC fighters who were considered the protégé of an older legend.
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#5. Deron Winn – protégé of former UFC heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier
Most highly credentialed amateur wrestlers who make their way into the UFC receive a large amount of hype, but when Deron Winn stepped into the octagon for the first time in the summer of 2019, he had even more spotlight on him than most.
Not only was Winn a highly successful wrestler who almost made the 2016 US Olympic team, he was also 5-0 in MMA and had impressed in a win over veteran Tom Lawlor. More importantly, though, he was mentored by then-UFC heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier.
Winn had been training with ‘DC’ at the American Kickboxing Academy for some time prior to his octagon debut, and it was easy to see the comparisons between the two, with Winn sporting the same fireplug-esque physique as his mentor.
To date, though, it’s safe to say that the protégé has not enjoyed the same success as his mentor did during his tenure in the octagon. Winn has won two bouts in the octagon while losing three, and most recently fell to another highly credentialed wrestler in the form of Phil Hawes.
After that fight, Cormier was seen exchanging heated words with ‘Megatron’, reportedly because – via some miscommunication – Hawes believed that ‘DC’ was helping Winn to avoid a fight with him.
While this may not have been the case, in this instance, perhaps the hype on Winn hasn’t helped him, making his relationship with ‘DC’ both a blessing and a curse.
#4. Kevin Randleman – protégé of former UFC heavyweight champion Mark Coleman
One of the most successful UFC fighters who was initially known as the protégé of a more established star was the late Kevin Randleman.
‘The Monster’ claimed the heavyweight title in 1999 by defeating Pete Williams, and in doing so, he followed in the footsteps of his mentor Mark Coleman, who had also won the title a couple of years earlier with a submission of Dan Severn.
The relationship between Coleman and Randleman dates back to before their days in MMA, as Coleman – a Division I NCAA national champion in wrestling in 1988 – coached Randleman on the wrestling mats at Ohio State University.
‘The Monster’ actually outdid his mentor by winning the NCAA National Championship twice, and so when ‘The Hammer’ moved into MMA in 1996, it was hardly a surprise to see Randleman swiftly follow him.
Later, when both men had departed the UFC, they headed to Japan where they found more stardom in PRIDE, with Coleman winning the 2000 Grand Prix and Randleman picking up big wins over the likes of Mirko Cro Cop and Murilo Rua.
While Randleman was arguably more athletic than ‘The Hammer’, he essentially fought like a carbon copy of his mentor, right down to having the same strengths – fantastic wrestling and takedowns – and weaknesses in striking and cardio.
The two men remained close friends after both had retired from MMA, and in 2021, when Randleman was posthumously inducted into the UFC’s Hall of Fame, it was no surprise that ‘The Hammer’ was called upon to induct him.
#3. Rory MacDonald – protégé of former UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre
When Rory MacDonald made his octagon debut back in early 2010 at just 20 years old, he became one of the youngest fighters in UFC history. However, a lot of the hype around him didn’t focus on his youthful status.
Instead, ‘The Water Boy’, as he was then known, quickly became known as the protégé of then-welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre. The two men trained together under coach Firas Zahabi at Canada’s Tri-Star gym, and as MacDonald developed his game, it was easy to see the parallels between them.
Like GSP, MacDonald often fought behind a stiff jab and would regularly switch things up by using his takedowns and ground control to wear his opponents out.
The two men were also known to be close friends behind the scenes – something that often grated on the fans, and on Dana White, as both were always steadfast about not being willing to fight each other in the octagon even if it seemed like the only option for them.
In 2013, St-Pierre even accused the MMA media of attempting to “create a conflict” between he and his teammate in order to set up the fight.
In the end, though, St-Pierre stepped away from action just as MacDonald reached his prime. Unfortunately for ‘The Red King’, as he became known, he was unable to recreate his mentor’s success by claiming gold in the octagon – and due to his less affable personality, he never quite reached the same levels of stardom, either.
#2. Nick Maximov – protégé of Nick and Nate Diaz
A number of fighters have emerged into the UFC over the years with comparisons to Nick and Nate Diaz, including Yancy Medeiros, Ronda Rousey and even Conor McGregor in his early days.
However, in 2021, a fighter who genuinely was a protégé of the Diaz brothers made his octagon debut after impressing on Dana White’s Contender Series.
After a successful career as an NCAA All-American wrestler, Nick Maximov had reportedly began training with the Diaz brothers at Nate’s Stockton Academy due to his father’s friendship with one of their training partners.
It didn’t take long for him to make an impact in MMA, going 5-0 before winning a UFC contract on Dana White's Contender Series in late 2020.
Maximov quickly talked up his mentors after picking up his first two wins in the promotion, labeling them “arguably the greatest martial artists to ever grace the octagon."
Given that he was also quick to call out Khamzat Chimaev – and even labeled Andre Petroski, who later defeated him, as a “regional fighter”, it’s safe to say he’s learned a lot about trash talk from the Diaz brothers too.
Whether he can go onto similar success as them inside the octagon, of course, only time will tell.
#1. Islam Makhachev – protégé of former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov
When unbeaten UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov unexpectedly announced that he was hanging up his gloves in late 2020, it didn’t take people long to crown Islam Makhachev as the “new Khabib”.
The comparison was hardly a surprise. After all, Makhachev had been known as a protégé of ‘The Eagle’ for some time, dating back to his 2015 octagon debut, and had trained with Khabib and his father Abdulmanap – who passed away in 2020 – for years prior to arriving in the promotion.
Right now, it seems like Makhachev is following along the exact same path as his mentor did, too. Like Khabib once did, Makhachev has found it hard to get fights against top-level competition over the past few years, largely thanks to them not being willing to fight him.
And just like ‘The Eagle’, Makhachev will be bringing a lengthy winning streak – ten victories in a row – into his upcoming lightweight title bout with Charles Oliveira.
That’s not to mention the comparisons between the two in their actual fighting style, as just like Khabib, Makhachev is a wrestling expert who is capable of destroying his foes from the top with either submissions or strikes.
