The UFC is the biggest MMA promotion in the world by far. There have been a number of names that have played a crucial role in the growth of the UFC over the last two decades. ‘The Eagle’ Khabib Nurmagomedov is one such name. Along with his father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, the two have trained a number of world champions. It includes the current UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev.
‘The Eagle’ played a crucial role in the expansion of the promotion in Russia and Islamic countries around the world. Nurmagomedov was one of the many fighters crafted under the able guidance of his father.
From an early age, ‘The Eagle’ was trained in combat sambo by his father, who also trained other fighters as well. Chief among them is current lightweight UFC champion Islam Makhachev. The 32-year-old used to be the main training partner for ‘The Eagle’. He is also the only fighter who really challenged Khabib Nurmagomedov.
In a recent video posted on Instagram, ‘The Eagle’ shared a video of his late father wrestling with Islam Makhachev. The caption said,
“Best fighter in the world and my Father ))) @islam_makhachev”
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‘The Eagle’ brought with him a wave of talented fighters from Dagestan. A number of his teammates are already champions or close to being champions in their receptive promotions. However, amongst all the fighters trained by Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, it is Islam Makhachev who is currently the most successful.
The 32-year-old still has the chance to go on to achieve things that his mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov was not able to. Let’s take a closer look at the legacy Islam Makhachev can create for himself in the UFC.
Islam Makhachev to go down as the greatest lightweight of all time?
Makhachev won his title with a brilliant stoppage win over Charles Oliveira at UFC 280. He has since defended his belt twice against Alexander Volkanovski. In the process, he tied his mentor’s record of title defences at 2. However, given the time he has on hand, Makhachev has the ability to break a few lightweight records and cement himself as the greatest lightweight of all time.
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The most title defences in the lightweight division at the moment is three achieved by the likes of Frankie Edgar, B.J. Penn and Benson Henderson. If he wins his next fight, he will tie that record. He also has a chance to jump a weight division and become a double champion.
Needless to say, Makhachev has the talent and time on his side to not only tie the record but surpass it by a huge margin. In all likelihood, his next fight will be a rematch against Charles Oliveira in the first half of 2024.
