Is Islam Makhachev better than Khabib Nurmagomedov? That’s the kind of question that gets MMA fans fired up—and for good reason. Khabib walked away from the sport undefeated and untouched with a 29-0 record, leaving behind a legacy that’s almost impossible to top. But with Islam now carving out his own dominant path (4 lightweight title defenses with a 15-fight-win streak), the comparisons are inevitable. And while the two never fought officially, what if we told you there’s actual footage of them going at it?
Yep, a sparring video from way back in 2011 has been making the rounds on social media, showing Islam and Khabib throwing down in a pretty intense session. It’s a glimpse into how good they both were even back then—landing clean shots, grappling like monsters, and clearly pushing each other to the limit.
But here’s the wild part—according to their coach Javier Mendez, Islam is the only person who’s ever won rounds against Khabib during sparring. Let that sink in.
“No one else could ever do that,” Mendez had said on Red Corner Talk in 2022. He knew Islam was something special from the jump—not just because of his grappling, but also because of the striking skills he sharpened back home with top-level coaches, including a silver medalist in boxing.
It should be noted that the sparring session in said video is actually competitive. It clearly edited, which could mean a number of things. However, Islam does actually manage to put Khabib to the ground with a single-leg takedown, something that has rarely ever happened.
That said, Khabib easily dominates Islam in the ground-and-pound aspect of the game, without even establishing a full mount on multiple occasions. His weight distribution must be incredibly precise because at no point, despite making desperate attempts, does Islam look like he could get back to his feet.
Needless to say, everybody on the internet is divided, with some claiming that Islam has always been better and others standing firm that ‘The Eagle’ is the master and the lightweight champion is his prodigy.
One fan questioned the caliber of opponents Khabib faced saying, “Outside of McGregor, Gaethje & Poirier who has Khabib fought.”
A fan made a case for ‘The Eagle’ saying, “So Khabib really is better.”
So Khabib really is better
— KSI Better (@MHA19811311) March 22, 2025
Another fan added to the sentiment saying, “Khabib always a step ahead truly best of all time.”
“Islam has always been better”– commented a fan seeing the video in a different lens compared to the other fans.
Islam has always been better
— . (@mmatears) March 22, 2025
While most comments were positive, a potential McGregor fan still upset about UFC 229 commented under the video saying, “They both suck.”
The truth is, we will never get a concrete answer on who is better – the closest we can get to that is to rely on the words of a fighter who has faced both men. Enter Dustin Poirier.
Poirier makes his pick between Khabib and Islam
Having been in insanely close battles with both men, Poirier knows exactly how dangerous both Dagestani champions are.
So when he speaks on it, fans tend to listen.
In an interview, Poirier made it clear that while Islam is an incredible champ in his own right, Khabib just felt different. He explained that against Makhachev, he was able to create some space, defend takedowns, and avoid getting completely smothered.
But with Khabib? There was no escape. Poirier said Khabib’s pressure was relentless, his control airtight, and once he got ahold of you, there was simply no getting away.
Speaking to Ariel Helwani after losing to Islam at UFC 302 last year, Poirier said, “I think Khabib is stronger, physically stronger, (but) Islam’s squeeze was incredible. All these guys are strong but it wasn’t overwhelming, but his squeeze (on the D’arce choke)… It was like a vise grip“.
Poirier also dissected the difference between the takedown style of the two fighters and explained that while the pressure he felt was similar, Islam would target the upper body a lot more than Khabib, by repeatedly going for the clinch, while the 29-0 fighter would shoot for really low takedowns at a moment’s notice.
Unfortunately, even he couldn’t give a solid answer on who the better fighter was.
