Top UFC flyweight shares one-word reaction to Khabib Nurmagomedov comparing Dagestani MMA to that of Ireland's

Khabib Nurmagomedov has ruffled some feathers with a recent comparison between Dagestan and Ireland in terms of MMA. The discussion he sparked led to the interjection of a high-ranked UFC flyweight. ESPN MMA took to Instagram with a clip of Nurmagomedov's statement.

In short, Nurmagomedov challenged his detractors to name any notable MMA fighters from Ireland that isn't Conor McGregor or Paul Hughes. While the likes of Ian Machado Garry exist, he has yet to find championship success or even compete for a title in a top-tier promotion.

By comparison, Dagestan has achieved more, with Nurmagomedov once reigning as the UFC lightweight champion. Now, his protegé, Islam Makhachev, holds the belt. Similarly, other Dagestani UFC imports have found success at the top, with Umar Nurmagomedov challenging for the bantamweight title at UFC 311.

Meanwhile, Magomed Ankalaev has already fought for the title before and is expected to challenge Alex Pereira for the light heavyweight strap. Elsewhere, in Bellator for example, Usman Nurmagomedov reigns as the promotion's lightweight king. Worse still, Irish fighters have poor track records against Dagestani foes.

This drew the attention of Amir Albazi, who popped up in the comment section of the Instagram post with a one-word response.

"Scoreboard"

A screenshot of Amir Albazi replying to Khabib Nurmagomedov

'The Eagle,' a UFC Hall of Famer, famously dominated Conor McGregor in their UFC 229 grudge match, submitting him in round four to defend his then lightweight title for the first time. Now, in a different promotion, Usman is set to defend his Bellator lightweight title against an Irishman in Paul Hughes on Jan. 25.

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Khabib Nurmagomedov doubled down on his statement

Khabib Nurmagomedov's claim about Dagestan's supposed MMA superiority over Ireland drew the attention of Darren Till, a former UFC middleweight who respectfully disagreed with 'The Eagle's' claim. However, Nurmagomedov took to X/Twitter to reassert his statement.

"You can say whatever you want, but if we're talking about facts, you can't compare Irish fighters with fighters from Dagestan. We dominate amateur MMA, and it's not even close—not just compared to Irish fighters but the whole world."

With the continued ascension of Dagestani MMA, it will be difficult for most countries without a significant population advantage to overcome them.