Makhachev would probably be the favorite...

maybe islam has an overall better skillset than khabib because islam is a better striker.
but khabib was RELENTLESS. insance cardio, insane non-stop pressure and he was better at mixing it together. i think khabibs iron chin and relentless pace would have eventually taken a toll on islam. there is only so much a man can endure, eve hardened fighters. khabib broke his opponents.

the ones that had good/great defense vs khabib ultimately succombed to the pressure or lost a decision
 
You're ignoring a lot of the aspects that that Khabib is clearly superior at than Islam IMO:

  • Chin- This is a big one. Khabib could walk through anything on his way to takedowns, and literally never seemed to be affected. Islam on the other hand has been wobbled when he takes clean shots (and KO'd once). He just consistently just does not take shots as well as Khabib. The chin is a huge reason why Khabib never lost a fight, and a huge reason why Islam is more vulnerable
  • Wrestling- Khabib is a better pure wrestler than Islam. Islam is very good, but he just isn't as efficient at chaining together TD attempts and doing whatever he wants to opponents on the ground. In a head to head matchup, I full expect Khabib would land some takedowns on Islam and have some control time on the ground, while it's incredibly difficult to imagine Islam taking/holding Khabib down.
  • GnP- Khabib had a uniquely special ability to control downed opponents with his legs, allowing him to posture up and land brutal GnP. Islam may have a slightly better pure submission game (arguable), but he definitely doesn't have the same ability to do GnP damage to his opponents as Khabib did
  • Cardio- I don't think Islam has bad cardio or anything, but Khabib could put on a ridiculous pace and never slowed down in the later rounds. In a 5 round head to head war, I'm quite convinced Khabib would be the fresher and more effective fighter in the championship rounds

I think Islam is likely a better pure striker than Khabib and might win a kickboxing match between the two. But as an MMA fighter... I'm going with Khabib every time.
 
DS66 said:
You're ignoring a lot of the aspects that that Khabib is clearly superior at than Islam IMO:

  • Chin- This is a big one. Khabib could walk through anything on his way to takedowns, and literally never seemed to be affected. Islam on the other hand has been wobbled when he takes clean shots (and KO'd once). He just consistently just does not take shots as well as Khabib. The chin is a huge reason why Khabib never lost a fight, and a huge reason why Islam is more vulnerable
  • Wrestling- Khabib is a better pure wrestler than Islam. Islam is very good, but he just isn't as efficient at chaining together TD attempts and doing whatever he wants to opponents on the ground. In a head to head matchup, I full expect Khabib would land some takedowns on Islam and have some control time on the ground, while it's incredibly difficult to imagine Islam taking/holding Khabib down.
  • GnP- Khabib had a uniquely special ability to control downed opponents with his legs, allowing him to posture up and land brutal GnP. Islam may have a slightly better pure submission game (arguable), but he definitely doesn't have the same ability to do GnP damage to his opponents as Khabib did
  • Cardio- I don't think Islam has bad cardio or anything, but Khabib could put on a ridiculous pace and never slowed down in the later rounds. In a 5 round head to head war, I'm quite convinced Khabib would be the fresher and more effective fighter in the championship rounds

I think Islam is likely a better pure striker than Khabib and might win a kickboxing match between the two. But as an MMA fighter... I'm going with Khabib every time.
Click to expand...

Great points. Not to mention, the killer mindset, poise, and confidence Khabib possessed. Dude was not fazed by anything. He seemed near invincible and he believed he was leaps & bounds better than the rest of the field. Islam had confidence issues, possibly due to the KO loss, for quite some time up until his bout against Dober. Josh Thompson, Khabib, DC would all highlight that Islam had another gear or two to him which he just wasn't showing in the octagon.
 
DS66 said:
You're ignoring a lot of the aspects that that Khabib is clearly superior at than Islam IMO:

  • Chin- This is a big one. Khabib could walk through anything on his way to takedowns, and literally never seemed to be affected. Islam on the other hand has been wobbled when he takes clean shots (and KO'd once). He just consistently just does not take shots as well as Khabib. The chin is a huge reason why Khabib never lost a fight, and a huge reason why Islam is more vulnerable
  • Wrestling- Khabib is a better pure wrestler than Islam. Islam is very good, but he just isn't as efficient at chaining together TD attempts and doing whatever he wants to opponents on the ground. In a head to head matchup, I full expect Khabib would land some takedowns on Islam and have some control time on the ground, while it's incredibly difficult to imagine Islam taking/holding Khabib down.
  • GnP- Khabib had a uniquely special ability to control downed opponents with his legs, allowing him to posture up and land brutal GnP. Islam may have a slightly better pure submission game (arguable), but he definitely doesn't have the same ability to do GnP damage to his opponents as Khabib did
  • Cardio- I don't think Islam has bad cardio or anything, but Khabib could put on a ridiculous pace and never slowed down in the later rounds. In a 5 round head to head war, I'm quite convinced Khabib would be the fresher and more effective fighter in the championship rounds

I think Islam is likely a better pure striker than Khabib and might win a kickboxing match between the two. But as an MMA fighter... I'm going with Khabib every time.
Click to expand...
I agree with some of your points. When I was watching Khabib's fight with Gaethje live, I didn't think Gaethje's shots had any effect on him. I thought he won the first round.

Where I disagree with you and many others is the wrestling aspect. In those thirteen fights he had in UFC, I don't think he has shown us enough to be able to say that he's the superior grappler to Islam. He was able to overpower and lift one or two more opponents but that is not enough. Also, I think you are buying too much into the hype of his ground and pound. They were rare and quite ineffective no matter how many times his fans liked to utter the word "smash." Poirier's ground and pound on Conor was brutal. Khabib's was nothing special. You can watch all his fights again and you'll see that I'm not just trying to be hater.
 
LoveSherdogThisTime said:
against majority of the lightweight title contenders in the last decade including Khabib.

I was able to rewatch Khabib's title run and I believe his skillsets are inferior to Islam's. Don't let his fans fool you into thinking that he was some ruthless, efficient fighter because Khabib had Lesnar-esque fear when it came to throwing punches. He swung without actually targeting. Unlike Lesnar however, he had no knockout power.

The same can be said about Islam to some degree but I'd compare him to guys like Jan Blachowicz or Magomded Ankalaev. They are vulnerable when they throw combinations but when they stay patient and counter strike, they can win any stand up battles.

When it comes to wrestling, I think Islam is the more versatile grappler who has better submission game than Khabib. People give Islam a lot of hate for his inactivity when he took Volk down but Khabib was no different. "Smash," was a rare occurrence.

It looks like the fight between Poirier and Gaethje will determine the next title challenger. It's a shame that I think Poirier will win because I don't see Poirier posing much of a threat to Islam on the feet. Islam's footwork is so good that Poirier won't even have opportunities to throw his combinations.

Islam is in the position to go down as the greatest lightweight ever. Let's appreciate his title run.
Click to expand...
islam-makhachev.gif


1676185021-1676184618-volka-1-1.gif
 
islam is a better striking, but he lacks khabibs chin.
khabib is a better wrestler, islam is reversed atleast twice by every decent wrestler he faces
 
Hoping for Charles winning against Dariush in a spectacular fashion and getting the title shot. Neither Poirier nor Gaethje deserve it.
 
Islam has a loss and barely won against a FW. Khabib would finish both and still go after Dillon Danis after the fight just to prove he never gets tired.
 
Sincere Guy said:
Hoping for Charles winning against Dariush in a spectacular fashion and getting the title shot. Neither Poirier nor Gaethje deserve it.
Click to expand...
I figure Charles blows out Dariush but I want fresh fights before reruns. The winner of the BMF belt should get a shot as Islam has proven he can be KTFO by lesser fighters .
 
DS66 said:
You're ignoring a lot of the aspects that that Khabib is clearly superior at than Islam IMO:

  • Chin- This is a big one. Khabib could walk through anything on his way to takedowns, and literally never seemed to be affected. Islam on the other hand has been wobbled when he takes clean shots (and KO'd once). He just consistently just does not take shots as well as Khabib. The chin is a huge reason why Khabib never lost a fight, and a huge reason why Islam is more vulnerable
  • Wrestling- Khabib is a better pure wrestler than Islam. Islam is very good, but he just isn't as efficient at chaining together TD attempts and doing whatever he wants to opponents on the ground. In a head to head matchup, I full expect Khabib would land some takedowns on Islam and have some control time on the ground, while it's incredibly difficult to imagine Islam taking/holding Khabib down.
  • GnP- Khabib had a uniquely special ability to control downed opponents with his legs, allowing him to posture up and land brutal GnP. Islam may have a slightly better pure submission game (arguable), but he definitely doesn't have the same ability to do GnP damage to his opponents as Khabib did
  • Cardio- I don't think Islam has bad cardio or anything, but Khabib could put on a ridiculous pace and never slowed down in the later rounds. In a 5 round head to head war, I'm quite convinced Khabib would be the fresher and more effective fighter in the championship rounds

I think Islam is likely a better pure striker than Khabib and might win a kickboxing match between the two. But as an MMA fighter... I'm going with Khabib every time.
Click to expand...

Agree with everything you wrote except wrestling. Islam, according to his AKA teammates , is a better pure wrestler than Khabib. His judo / sambo is also more refined.

However, that wouldn't matter in MMA. Khabib would be favored due to having a better submission game, a relentless pace, and more aggressive GnP.
 
Rio Ferdinand said:
khabob has been reported to have beaten up islam in sparring.

Although islam is the only fighter whos actually taken rounds of him.
Click to expand...

I think some of this "Khabib never lost a round sparring" this is pretty exaggerated.

So when he was grappling in the gym with DC and Rockhold he was taking them to school as well?
 
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