5 things Islam Makhachev does better than Khabib Nurmagomedov

Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov are known to be close friends and training partners. They both hail from Dagestan, Russia, and learned their craft under the tutelage of Khabib's father, the late Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov. Additionally, Islam and Khabib also extensively trained under the guidance of Javier Mendez at California's famed AKA (American Kickboxing Academy).

With Islam Makhachev's rise as a pound-for-pound great in recent years, the MMA community is seemingly split about who's the better fighter of the two. Is Islam Makhachev actually better than 'The Eagle' in certain combat and non-combat aspects of the fight game?

The two friends have indicated that they won't fight each other. Nevertheless, after his record-breaking win at UFC 311, we look at five things Islam Makhachev does better than Khabib Nurmagomedov.

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#5. Islam Makhachev is funnier than Khabib Nurmagomedov

Over the years, Khabib Nurmagomedov delivered several memorable one-liners and persevered through trash-talk battles against his opponents. Similarly, Islam Makhachev possesses underrated trash-talking prowess. Although he's not as fluent as Chael Sonnen or Conor McGregor, as English isn't his first language, the Russian combatant holds his own in his trash-talk battles against most foes.

Moreover, Makhachev is known to be more easy-going and funnier than Nurmagomedov. While the latter does tend to joke around occasionally, he's generally more stoic and reserved in many aspects. Meanwhile, Makhachev seems unafraid of showcasing his funny side; sometimes even pushing the envelope in that regard.

Heading into his most recent fight, at UFC 311 (Jan. 18, 2025), Makhachev spoke to longtime AKA teammate, retired MMA legend Daniel Cormier. The duo jested about Nurmagomedov recently getting removed from a Frontier Airlines flight in relation to an apparent misunderstanding over instructions related to sitting near the emergency exit seat.

Jibing at former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion Cormier over his supposed weight gain, Makhachev stated:

"Brother, I understand if they kick you out from this emergency exit because you're so big maybe... You're a little bit big now. You cannot move too much."

Cormier appeared to jokingly warn him to tread carefully. Some fans deemed it hilarious, while others implied that Makhachev's appearance-shaming comedy was uncalled for. Either way, Makhachev is viewed as far more lighthearted than the stern Nurmagomedov.

Check out Makhachev's comments below (5:26):

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#4. Islam Makhachev is eyeing UFC titles in multiple weight classes

Khabib Nurmagomedov's archrival Conor McGregor is one of the rare fighters who captured UFC titles in two weight classes. The Irishman is also the first to ever hold two UFC belts simultaneously. Nurmagomedov competed at lightweight, welterweight, and in some catchweight bouts, too, in his MMA career. However, his success at the elite level mainly came at lightweight.

Khabib competed just once after his father and mentor, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov's passing in July 2020, submitting Justin Gaethje in October 2020 and then retiring. 'The Eagle' has maintained that his mother didn't want him to compete without his father by his side, so he's unlikely to ever fight professionally again. As such, a potential UFC welterweight title run is unfeasible.

Well, Islam Makhachev, for one, has time and again asserted that it's his dream to win the UFC welterweight title and become a two-division champion. He's also warned that he could move to middleweight and beat that division's current champion, Dricus du Plessis. During the UFC 311 post-fight press conference last week, Makhachev said:

"Yeah. I can beat three divisions also. Just give me the chance... I will fight with [Dricus] du Plessis."

Whether or not Makhachev becomes a two-division (or the UFC's first-ever three-division champion!) remains to be seen. But he's been applauded for his willingness to get out of his comfort zone and test himself at higher weight classes in the UFC -- something Nurmagomedov didn't seem too keen to do.

Watch Makhachev discuss the topic below (3:40):

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#3. Islam Makhachev is a risk-taker

Islam Makhachev is most definitely a greater risk-taker than the legendary Khabib Nurmagomedov. Now, this may not necessarily be the best thing for Makhachev.

Meanwhile, Nurmagomedov had one of the most risk-averse styles of fighting, primarily utilizing his otherworldly grappling to outpoint or finish his foes. It's hard to fault him for that. It worked well for him, ensuring that he took minimal damage in his fights.

Nurmagomedov never engaged in a prolonged striking showdown unless forced into one by someone with great takedown defense. Alternatively, Islam Makhachev has always shown a willingness to engage in striking battles against his opponents. His lone loss, a 2015 knockout at the hands of the hard-hitting Adriano Martins, remains his lone defeat in the sport of MMA and the UFC organization.

Some would also argue that Makhachev is a more aggressive submission artist than Nurmagomedov and often puts himself at risk when hunting for submissions. Be that as it may, one simply can't deny that his penchant for taking calculated risks makes him an even more entertaining fighter than Nurmagomedov.

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#2. Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and the value of defeat

If there's one achievement that Islam Makhachev (27-1 MMA) can't boast about against Khabib Nurmagomedov (29-0), it's an unbeaten professional MMA record. Nurmagomedov is one of the rare fighters who competed at the highest level of the sport and still retired with an unblemished record.

Alternatively, some would say that because of his unbeaten run in the sport, Nurmagomedov never got a chance to prove what so many other great fighters before him have -- the ability to reemerge after a loss!

Boxing legend Mike Tyson had famously given a profound assessment of the importance of loss, in fighting and in life, back in 2021. Speaking to Valuetainment's Patrick Bet-David, Tyson recounted stories of being a child in criminal groups and robbing others at the older accomplices' behest. When asked if any of their targets got the better of him in a fight, 'Iron' stated that some did:

"In order to be good, you have to lose and understand loss because loss is life."

A loss, that too in one of the toughest sports and on the world stage, can sometimes break a fighter -- physically, mentally, and spiritually. Nurmagomedov never lost, so it's unclear as to whether or not he'd have reemerged. However, Makhachev proved his mettle by reemerging from his knockout defeat against Adriano Martins in 2015 and is currently on a 15-fight win streak.

Watch Tyson's profound assessment below (7:37):

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#1. Striking

The retired Khabib Nurmagomedov boasts eight wins via KO/TKO on his MMA record. Islam Makhachev, who's still an active competitor, has just five KO/TKO wins on his record. Nevertheless, the vast majority of MMA fans and experts have time and again hailed Makhachev as the better striker of the two.

Speaking to Submission Radio back in 2022, AKA head coach Javier Mendez indicated that only Islam Makhachev would win some rounds against Khabib Nurmagomedov, but he implied that Nurmagomedov would still win the session overall.

Regardless, over the past few years, Makhachev's striking has improved in leaps and bounds, so much so that he's out-struck elite strikers like Alexander Volkanovski.

Speaking to The Schmo in 2024, Javier Mendez explained that right from the beginning, Nurmagomedov wasn't a great striker. He highlighted that Islam Makhachev entered as a fairly decent striker and was already ahead of 'The Eagle' in that department:

"He's been ahead of Khabib in the striking department. The overall department, I don't know if anybody's ever going to be better than Khabib."

Although Mendez suggested that Nurmagomedov's overall MMA skill set was better than Makhachev's and any other fighter's, the fact remains that the two Dagestani MMA greats' striking skills are day and night. Makhachev was, is, and would presumably remain a far superior striker than Nurmagomedov.

Watch Mendez's assessment below (3:01):