Khabib Nurmagomedov was the first Dagestani fighter to become a world champion in the UFC. His protege Islam Makhachev soon followed suit and is now on track to surpass his mentor in terms of championship legacy. And as humble as Islam is, he has taken the John Cena route and declared, ‘my time is now’!
Makhachev has been under Nurmagomedov’s wing since before he joined the UFC and now feels that he has grown out of ‘The Eagle’s shadow. Arguable, one might claim, but a win over Dustin Poirier at UFC 302 will put him on par with his mentor with a lot more time remaining in the sport.
Islam Makhachev has two title defenses to his name and will be aiming to make it three in a few days. In doing so, he will match ‘The Eagle’s three title defenses. Although Khabib had retired following his father’s death to keep a promise to his mother, Islam doesn’t have those strings attached to him and aims to be a two-division world champion.
In a recent clip from the UFC ‘Countdown’ show, Makhachev spoke about being in the shadow of his mentor and how that will change ‘when’ he beats Poirier-
“People say I am Khabib protege but now I have the belt. And now I have number one in the pound-for-pound rankings. Khabib have his time and right now it’s my time.”
While the legacies of both Makhachev and Nurmagomedov are comparable at the moment, a second title will properly Makhachev to true greatness and it’s only climbing up from there. But before all those dreams come true, he will have to defeat Dustin Poirier first.
But according to Makhachev’s camp, the upcoming title fight will be a lot easier than most expect.
Islam Makhachev a more well-rounded fighter than Dustin Poirier, states coach
Makhachev is one of the best grapplers in the sport. However, in his last fight, he finished Alexander ‘The Great’ Volkanovski with a head kick. The common consensus is that Poirier is a better striker and Makhachev a better grappler.
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However, Makhachev’s coach does not agree with this narrative. In a recent interview, Magomedgadzhi Bagandov stated that he feels Makhachev can outbox Poirier in both striking as well as Muay Thai.
Even Khabib Nurmagomedov has claimed that while they respected Dustin’s formidable prowess, they had a plan and Islam was going to stick to it.
But let’s drop the pretense that this could be an up-on-the-feet stand-along slugfest. Both Dustin and Islam know better than that. Islam will continue to look for takedowns while trying to catch ‘The Diamond’ with some precise striking. Poirier will look to outbox the Dagestani while trying to get out of submissions.
