“More dangerous than Khabib in his prime!” Daniel Cormier warns lightweight division of Islam Makhachev’s strengths

Daniel Cormier believes Islam Makhachev had a superior skill set than Khabib Nurmagomedov.

“More dangerous than Khabib in his prime!” Daniel Cormier warns lightweight division of Islam Makhachev’s strengths

Daniel Cormeir believes Islam Makhachev is more dangerous than Khabib Nurmagomedov (via Imago/Instagram)

Khabib Nurmagomedov was one of the legends of MMA and arguably the greatest of all time in the lightweight division. Currently, his protege Islam Makhachev is ruling over the 155lbs division. The two share a similar type of fighting style. Despite this, Daniel Cormier believes Makhachev to be more of a threat than Khabib was.

In the recent episode of ‘Funky and the Champ’ on YouTube, Cormier joined Ben Askren. Somewhere along the lines, he made a comparison between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Makhachev. He analyzed the dominance of the Dagestanis on the ground and their striking skills. In the department of striking, Cormier gave Makhachev the upper hand, thereby making him more dangerous than ‘The Eagle’. 

Khabib - because of his strength and his control, he manipulated you on the ground. I think Makhachev possesses a lot of the same type of qualities - very similar when he gets you on the ground. But, because he's a better striker, I feel he's even more dangerous than Khabib was during his prime.
Daniel Cormier (via Funky and the Champ)
YouTube video

Also, while speaking of Nurmagomedov, Daniel Cormier mentioned a conversation Dana White had with Dustin Poirier. But, DC wasn’t sure whether it was Poirier or Conor McGregor. Anyway, the fighter who just fought Nurmagomedov expressed feeling dejected by how dominantly Nurmagomedov controlled him. However, the former double champion still believed Makhachev surpassed Nurmagomedov’s status skill-wise.

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Khabib Nurmagmedov retired at an early age in 2020 with an unscathed MMA record of 29-0. However, since then he helped other Dagestani fighters including Makhachev with their dreams of becoming the best MMA fighter. As such, Nurmagomedov wanted Makhachev to surpass him and post an even superior record.

Dana White’s opinion on Islam Makhachev’s legacy

Lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev defended his title at UFC 294 against Alexander Volkanoski. Coming into the fight after a controversial decision win over the same opponent, Makhachev had a chip on his shoulder. As such, he put the controversies to rest by knocking out Volkanovski in the very first round. The knockout resulted in Dana White claiming that Makhchev had the potential to stack up a better record than his Dagestani predecessor.

Dana White states Islam Makhachev can surpass Khabib Nurmagomedov's legacy
Dana White states Islam Makhachev can surpass Khabib Nurmagomedov’s legacy (via Sports Illustrated/Hindustan Times)

At the post-fight press conference, a journalist questioned White about whether Makhachev remained in the shadows of Nurmagomedov. White defended Makhachev and expressed his excitement for the finish the lightweight champion produced at UFC 294. As such, he believed if Makhachev could pose a long title defense count, he would exceed what Nurmagomedov achieved in the UFC.

White even opened up the possibility of Makhahev running for a double champion status. However, everything depended on the title defense count the lightweight champion would procure. As of now, he called out for a fight against Dustin Poirier in June. But, UFC 300 featured two potential title eliminators which could define the next title challenger. As such, Makhachev would defend his belt possibly in June or later this year.

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