'The Eagle's friend and long time training partner, Islam Makhachev, knows a little about defeat having tasted it once via knockout. Khabib Nurmagomedov, meanwhile, is almost a stranger to being on his back in the octagon.
Khabib Nurmagomedov was front and center as Islam Makhachev was knocked out by Adriano Martins at UFC 192. After the up-and-coming lightweight contender was stopped, 'The Eagle' was seen putting his head in his arms in frustration.
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Islam Makhachev has not lost a fight since that fateful day. The loss seemingly lit a fire in the young contender, birthing an unstoppable force.
The man from Dagestan has often put an emphasis on taking the fight to the ground and working his deadly submissions after that setback. Makhachev has dominated his opponents on the ground in the years since.
"Khabib wannabe"- Islam Makhachev and Rafael dos Anjos go back and forth on Twitter
The spat between Rafael dos Anjos and Islam Makhachev is the latest in a long line of UFC Twitter feuds. The Russian-born lightweight started the feud when he pointed out dos Anjos’ lack of security during his altercation with Conor McGregor backstage after weigh-ins at UFC 264.
Makhachev was implying that dos Anjos could have attacked McGregor since there was no security holding him back. The Brazilian replied with a jab at the Dagastani's lack of high-level experience.
Although Makhachev has been on a tear lately, he has not faced the caliber of opponent that dos Anjos has faced in the past. Rafael dos Anjos has wins over the likes of Paul Felder, Kevin Lee and Robbie Lawler.
He followed up with another tweet implying that Makhachev is where he is because of favoritism. The-37-year old was quick to dismiss Makhachev’s skill and hard work as nothing but people playing favorites, even though the Dagestani is on a nine-fight win-streak.
Makhachev finally replied with a clarifying statement on who is more likely to fight for the lightweight championship next year. He pointed out that Justin Gaethje is the favorite for the title shot.