“He would easily do it” – Islam Makhachev confidently claims retired Khabib Nurmagomedov could beat Sean Strickland for middleweight belt

Islam Makhachev believes Khabib Nurmagomedov could easily win the UFC middleweight title. They've trained together, but Nurmagomedov won't be in Makhachev's corner for UFC 294.

“He would easily do it” – Islam Makhachev confidently claims retired Khabib Nurmagomedov could beat Sean Strickland for middleweight belt

Islam Makhachev believes Khabib Nurmagomedov could defeat Sean Strickland (Image via Imago)

Islam Makhachev recently posted on Instagram about Khabib Nurmagomedov. Makhachev posted that Nurmagomedov could easily become the UFC middleweight champion if he decides to.

The UFC lightweight champion was recently asked a question by an interviewer. Makhachev posted about it on Instagram with a video captioned, “Today I was asked in one of the interviews: “Can Khabib come back and beat Strickland in the championship fight? I can say with confidence that he would easily do it. Almost three years have passed since Habib finished his career, but he never misses a workout. And I can say with confidence, If he wants, it won’t be difficult for him.”

The video showed Makhachev and Nurmagomedov working on their cardio on the treadmill. Islam Makhachev firmly believes that Khabib Nurmagomedov could easily come back from a 3-year layoff to win a UFC title two weight classes above.

FS Video
YouTube video

Khabib Nurmagomedov has recently joined Islam Makhachev’s training camp. However, he would not be in his corner at UFC 294. Nurmagomedov was part of the corner when Makhachev won the vacant title at UFC 280 against Charles Oliveira. However, he was a notable absentee at Makhachev’s first title defense at UFC 284 against Alexander Volkanovski in Perth, Australia.

On the other hand, Sean Strickland became the new middleweight champion at UFC 293. He outclassed Israel Adesanya in Melbourne, Australia as a big betting underdog. With Makhachev saying that Nurmagomedov could defeat Strickland, it remains to be seen whether Strickland would respond to it. Strickland is notorious for responding controversially on social media.

Related: “Had nothing to lose,” UFC Legend claims Alexander Volkanovski’s fight against Islam Makhachev mimes Nate Diaz’s epic showdown with Conor McGregor

Javier Mendez reiterates Khabib Nurmagomedov’s words preluding Islam Makhachev fight at UFC 294

MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn recently conducted an interview with Javier Mendez, the head coach of AKA. They discussed Makhachev’s title rematch against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 294. Unexpectedly, Charles Oliveira pulled out. However, Mendez confidently said a true champion is always ready. He cited Khabib Nurmagomedov’s words, “If King Kong makes weight, we’ll fight.”

Khabib Nurmagomedov and Javier Mendez are coaches of Islam Makhachev
Khabib Nurmagomedov and Javier Mendez are coaches of Islam Makhachev (Image via: Bloody Elbow)

Furthermore, Mendez highlighted Makhachev’s adaptability. He believes a win over Volkanovski would earn Makhachev the pound-for-pound number-one spot. He already considers Makhachev deserving of this title. Mendez had earlier said that Makhachev was put into the pound-for-pound rankings too soon. As of now, Makhachev is ranked 3rd in the UFC pound-for-pound rankings. Moreover, his opponent, Alexander Volkanovski is ranked 2nd.

Additionally, he sees Oliveira as a strong UFC contender for the future. Moreover, Mendez said that he along with Coach Magomed, and Coach Seifulla will be in Makhachev’s corner. Lastly, Mendez anticipates a challenging five-round bout with Volkanovski.

In case you missed it!