“Striking further ahead than Khabib’s” – Coach Javier Mendez details what gives Islam Makhachev the edge over Khabib Nurmagomedov


“Striking further ahead than Khabib’s” – Coach Javier Mendez details what gives Islam Makhachev the edge over Khabib Nurmagomedov

Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov (L) and their coach Javier Mendez (R)

Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov are brothers in arms, proudly spearheading their late mentor Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov’s gym back home in Dagestan.

One of the reasons for Islam Makhachev’s quick title shot is the ease with which he dismantled his opponents within the octagon. This prompted fans to point out how similar the fashion of victories was compared to Khabib Nurmagomedov’s own. Retiring at 29-0, Khabib Nurmagomedov arguably never lost a round. Now, under his compatriot Khabib, and in no small part his own fighting salience, Makhachev goes to Abu Dhabi in two weeks to take on Charles Oliveira.

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When Khabib retired, the talk of the town nominated Islam as his logical heir. Since then, Makhachev has been on the sole purpose of landing a title shot and becoming champion.

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Because they have such a similar ground-oriented style, and have never faced each other in the octagon, people regularly hypothesize as to who the better fighter really is.

Now, their coach at AKA Gym, Javier Mendez has given some insight into the matter. He said, “The difference between Islam and Khabib is when Khabib was in Dagestan training at Abdulmanap’s gym – his father’s gym – Khabib would only train with me really. He wouldn’t really train standup with anybody… whereas Islam was smart enough to train with other people and he has great coaches at home.

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Continuing, he said, “So with him, his striking is further ahead than Khabib’s ever was only because of the fact that Islam was working year-round on his striking.

Khabib Nurmagomedov retired after beating Justin Gaethje in 2019, after defending the lightweight belt for the third time.

Since his father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov’s gym in Dagestan focused purely on wrestling, Khabib’s standup was somewhat not on the same plane as his counterparts. Hence, he had to tune that aspect of his game when he came to Javier Mendez’s gym, The American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) in San Jose.

Related- Khabib Nurmagomedov reveals next opponent for Islam Makhachev, if the latter beats Charles Oliveira at UFC 280

Islam Makhachev opens as betting favourite against Charles Oliveira at UFC 280

Charles Oliveira (L) and Islam Makhachev (R) will headline UFC 280's main event
Charles Oliveira (L) and Islam Makhachev (R) will headline UFC 280’s main event

Despite his impressive winning streak, it’d be a surprise for most people to know that Charles Oliveira will enter UFC 280 as a +135 underdog, as per the UFC. Since his victory over Michael Chandler in April 2021, which earned him the lightweight belt, he has bested Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje.

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Regardless, due to his proximity in training with great Khabib Nurmagomedov, Makhachev is expected to beat Charles Oliveira. He opens as a -155 favourite.

The match could be lopsided – given that, both their advantages come on the ground. While Oliveira is a third-degree black belt in BJJ, Makhachev is a Sambo expert. Their respective skillsets have come in clutch in their last fights – while Oliveira choked out both Poirier and Gaethje, Makhachev pounded Bobby Green on the ground and threw Dan Hooker into a Kimura submission. Hence, the striking of either could be the difference.

The odds might be in Islam Makhachev’s favour. However, that is not to say that his bout with Charles Oliveira at UFC 280 will be anything short of a hotly contested spectacle.

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