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#4. Current Bellator lightweight and former featherweight champion Patricio Freire
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Bellator’s two division warrior sent UFC defector Michael Chandler's lightweight title reign packing back at Bellator 221. Of his 32 wins, Freire has scored 12 submissions and 11 knockouts. Basically, ‘Pitbull’ (how many pitbulls does MMA have?) is as deadly on the feet as he is on the ground.
A former two-time Bellator featherweight champion, Freire currently holds Bellator’s lightweight crown. Similar to Conor McGregor in the UFC, Freire used his featherweight gold at the time to springboard to his lightweight title showdown with Chandler.
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A hard-hitting, strong-chinned 17-year veteran of MMA, Freire’s record of 32-5 isn’t quite as perfect as Khabib’s. However, his fast and aggressive cocktail of brutal jabs, heel hooks and guillotine chokes would make him a very formidable foe.
Nurmagomedov’s fearless approach to pressure fighting could’ve landed him in serious trouble against the fast hands of Freire.
#3. Current UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira
Charles Oliveira is one of the finest submission artists of his generation. The Brazilian grappler holds the record for most submissions in the UFC at 14 and most finishes overall at 17.
The current UFC lightweight champion is a third degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. His arsenal of deadly submissions holds is one of the vastest in MMA today.
To top it all off, Oliveira has improved his striking in recent years. At UFC 262, Oliveira showcased his fast and angry hands when he scored a TKO win over Michael Chandler in round two. The win made him the first undisputed UFC lightweight champion since ‘The Eagle’ hung up his gloves.
On the ground, Oliveira is one of the most dangerous men alive. Despite Khabib’s low opinion of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Oliveira’s submissions and guards would make him a worthy opponent.
On the feet, the two are of a similar striking level. For Oliveira, beating ’The Eagle’ would be astonishingly difficult but by no means impossible.
