"Khabib had a charisma all the way through" - Dan Hardy compares Islam Makhachev's career to Khabib Nurmagomedov's

Dan Hardy compared Islam Makhachev to the legendary Khabib Nurmagomedov in a recent appearance on Submission Radio.

The Englishman hailed Islam Makhachev as a strong lightweight contender and compared his rise to that to 'The Eagle' himself. He said:

"[Islam Makhachev] has already laid such a strong foundation for himself in this division and he's already put himself in a position where fights are gonna be difficult to get which means that UFC are gonna keep looking further up the rankings and it's gonna open more doors for him... I certainly think that Khabib had a charisma all the way through his career that is unique to him... "

Islam Makhachev has been a long-time teammate and friend of Khabib Nurmagomedov.

The two fighters hail from the same area, namely the rough mountains of Dagestan. Hence, the similarities between the two fighters in and outside the octagon have been inevitable.

Makhachev is set to fight Dan Hooker at UFC 267. The Dagestani is currently the No.5-ranked lightweight in the UFC and could be on the cusp of a title shot if he beats Hooker.

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Dan Hardy stated that Islam Makhachev's striking is better than that of Khabib Nurmagomedov

Dan Hardy also spoke about Islam Makhachev's underrated striking skills. 'The Outlaw' believes that Makhachev's striking is better than that of Khabib Nurmagomedov.

He also revealed an undue advantage that Makhachev enjoys over other fighters in the UFC. According to Hardy, Makhachev will benefit from being around Khabib Nurmagomedov.

"Makhachev is a worker and I will say that technically his striking his better than Khabib's and I think Khabib will acknowledge that as well. And I think there's definitely, definitely a room to grow... And I bet that Khabib's got the mentality [to help] Islam Makhachev. I bet he wants to make Makhachev a much better version of him. There's no ego attached to Khabib, you know, he's not gonna withhold anything which means Makhachev's got the benefit of all the experience of Khabib as well as the doors opening in the UFC. I think we're, no doubt, looking at a champion... and he's always got wrestling to fall back upon."

Watch Dan Hardy's full interview on Submission Radio below: