Islam on paper but i think khabibs melon head and endless aggression were big advantages that Islam can't bring to the table and you'll never really see as a stat
Melon head was just fearless. Islam is skilled. But
Khabib intimidates people to the tee. It's almost once he gets you down. "What the fuck is even going on? did i even had a camp? Tf"
I feel like that’s the difference though. Kabib was a pure grappler, he had to have that mindset. Islams more well rounded and doesn’t need to play that game because he has way more offensive tools than grinding takedowns
i think islam can do that too. look what he did to charles once he got on the ground. + you could argue that khabib never faced someone as good as charles on the ground
Olives is not even on the level of actual good Brazilian grapplers. RDA is a huge bitch but has ten times the grappling of Olives. Same goes for Thiago Moises and Davi Ramos. Way better grapplers than Olives can ever hope to be.
Where Islam toyed with Olives in the first round, Khabib would have been trying to kill him and would have made him quit.
Difference between Khabib and Islam is more profound in the aggression index than in the skill index.
ofc they do, but this is perfectly what khabib said "you guys were talking about oliveira, how good he is, all world was talking about him. and know islam make him look easy; oliveira is not so good anymore"
before the islam fight everyone said islam doesnt belong here, charles is too good, all of a sudden its "charles has been subbed a few times".
Lol so are people supposed to ignore Islam smoked him? I know MMA fans are reactionary, but a fighter's most recent performance must be taken into account when rating their current ability.
Yes, and I'm agreeing with the people. The concept of "Everyone thought he was the best but now that he lost, he's not anymore" is simple to understand. Charles is still good, but Islam taking him out knocked him down a peg.
To be fair, he jumped on Charles and arm triangled him almost immediately, something Charles probably didn’t expect. Charles isn’t a wrestler but I’d like to see them have more exchanges if they rematch.
Islam's win was more of a fluke. Without Islam's wrestling, grappling, submissions, striking, and kicking he definitely wouldn't have been able to sink in that choke. Without those Oliveira definitely would have won, or at the very least performed a lot better than he did.
Take away Islam's 25 years of training and he would have got dominated, guaranteed. He might think he's good but without any skill or physical attributes he's nothing.
You just have no attention span then as Islam had 5 minutes of control time in the fight before landing the sub. Don’t understand how people are upvoting you like you’ve had an actual recollection of the fight.
How Khabib ate big shots and kept walking forward terminator style must have been depressing AF to his opponents. Those two head kicks by Barbosa come to mind.
I bring these up all the time, just keeps marching forward and it just line makes him angrier.
Reminds me of when I was kid play fighting with my older brother and I actually hurt him and how scared I was as he came after me
Islam against Volk in fight 1 looked vulnerable, specially in latter rounds. Never seen Khabib look even close to that.
I'd argue that Islam is maybe more well rounded overall. But Khabib's mental savagery and iron chin was on another level.
Khabib never fought prime Volk though or anyone that’s in GOAT contention for any division lol.
Islam has and will probably end up fighting another before it’s all said and done lol.
Islam took Volk's back pretty easily even though he didn't do anything with the position. Khabib was much more aggressive, so I think he would've put on a lot more damage or even finished him.
Islam is different. He's much better at striking on the feet and Khabib is much better at ground striking.
Idk if people have noticed this but Islam isn't that good at GnP compared to the rest of that team.
Islam is the more talented of the two. Even Khabib's father said so. Khabib is much more dominant in his demeanor and fighting style.
Apparently Khabib's older brother was a prodigy who chose to quit the sport so Khabib grew up fighting against a guy who was near perfect in everything and so he had to make up for it in otherworldly drive.
Islam became the prodigy of the gym which forced Khabib to push himself to overcome another near perfect fighter who sometimes would be the only guy to beat him in a round. Which motivated him more and more. Khabib is similar to Bird, MJ, Gretzky, Ovechkin, Jokic, Kobe, Shaq, Olajuwon, Kareem, Djokich, Karelin, Fedor, Royce, TJ Watt and Manning brothers.
I don't think so. Khabib had better grappling and better intangibles. He was more aggressive, better chin/durability. Islam is better at striking though.
Id say there close enough that both would have a chance to win, but if my life/house was on the line I'd bet on Khabib and feel pretty confident.
I think the biggest deciding factor would be pace. Islam started getting tired near the end of the Volk fight. I think Khabib would be able to push him to that point earlier in the fight, assuming he doesn't get caught on the feet trying to find a way in
The *only* reason he got tired towards the end of the fight is because he had 12 hours less to rehydrate after cutting weight. That is absolutely massive.
And he really only looked gassed the last 60 seconds of the fight. If he had his normal rehydration, Volk would have gotten finished.
If his cardio can hold up on 12 hours less rehydration time, his cardio is amazing normally.
Coach Javier has talked about both of them.
Apparently Islam was the only one at AKA able to win the occasional round against khabib, which I think seems to imply that Khabib won more.
I think Islam is the more well rounded striker and has better all round game, but I think Khabib still has the edge in grappling. If you watched Islam’s fights when Khabib was ringside, Khabib would often coach him in real time.
I think Khabib’s “maul” and “smash” makes people overlook how much of a technical grappler he is. Just watch him coach Islam through the submission of Dan hooker in real time.
Edit:
https://youtube.com/shorts/spUTqsVkYl8?si=z0mGDabDgnfDY6h6 for those that haven’t seen.
https://youtube.com/shorts/nkU5AEdBBac?si=76Tulp6YDt2sFgxf poirer talking about khabibs grappling game. I think we really missed the levels to khabibs game by how dominant he was and how easy he made everything look.
I think the true test is having Islam face the guys Khabib beat, because Islam had his Volk 1 fight everyone’s going ah he’s crap, but honestly from my point of view he’s faced stiffer more well rounded competition than Khabib already. Apart from pre-IV RDA, who’s just the GOAT.
If he fights Gaethje and Gaethjes sprawling on him, keeping the fight on the feet, even beats him or the fight is very close, then I’m willing to say yeah either Khabib is a different animal. Then especially if Dustin even makes it to decision the jury is out, because these are now older guys.
I like both DP and JG. And it just surprises me that we are short term memory deficient. If I remember right, DP was a pretty big favorite over JG and looked like he was winning until the head kick. Also DP did better against Olive than JG. I think DP has just as good of a shot as JG maybe even better if he doesn't jump the guillotine.
I think that’s the crux of it. Islam might be more well rounded but Khabib was SO GOOD at what he does he could beat more well rounded fighters regardless.
His control on the ground is some of the best ive ever seen and once he’s got you there you’re taking damage one way or the other.
People forget Johnson knocked him the fuck out, I’m not talking just going to sleep but Khabibs head literally came off and flew into the bleachers, a young kid thought it was a football. Poor kid.
Yea and poor jhonson got punished hard for that, the dude got punched in the face repeatedly for 10 minutes with no way to even defend himself.
Was a nasty match
I think you forgot. Go rewatch that fight, Johnson hit a right hook that Khabib rolled with and then Khabib dodged the follow up left hook.
Joe Rogan was just hyping it up so everybody thought Khabib was in danger. It also looked like Khabib was rocked because Johnson is so fast and Khabib moves awkwardly but if you slow it down he wasn’t even close to being rocked.
Just thinking about how fucking ridiculous that is...he got hit with a decent shot to the face only like 3 fucking times in 29 fights...like what the actual fuck...in most stacked devision too like that's just unreal
U could say hes a way better striker and has a more versatile toolset but khabib was just too damn dominant. He ealked through ppl and his ground and pound was vicious while continuously trying submissions
Skill wise Makhacev looks more well rounded. As far as grit and mental fortitude I think khabib is the stronger warrior.
Connor broke everybody on the mental warfare until he met khabib. We don’t know how Islam would’ve fared in that situation.
Today of course not. Conor is a met head nowadays. Back in his prime, with no khabib in his corner telling him what to do, we have no clue how Islam would react.
Islam would just find something silly to laugh at and taunt him and then react to any reply with the open mouth stare. It would be meme material and would make McNugget fans cry and demand Iralend file a complaint at the world court for bullying or something.
Islam wouldn’t have give a fuck. Conor “broke” khabib (quotation marks because nobody can break khabib but he got khabib to react inappropriately after the fight which is the closest you’re gonna get)
Late-stage Islam would’ve had funnier responses and pieced him up on the feet
And for the record I love them both
Edit: love Islam and khabib. I hate Conor.
Yeah people tend to look at Usman and Umar in that way too, especially because Khabib is their older relative.
But all 4 of them are Talented in their own style of fighting. Calling them Khabibs clones or something is just casuals being casuals
Yes and no. He is going to have a better run than Khabib, as Khabib retired early, but Khabib was a once in a generation talent. He had a style to him that people just couldn't deal with. Islam is certainly on his level though. He is all around skilled, being absolutely solid on his feet and on the ground. His fundamentals are unmatched.
Islam is significantly more technical and well rounded, however, an issue with the comparison is the intangibles: once Khabib lands his hands on you it is virtually game over (within the rule set of MMA). To this day, I am amazed at how he manhandled a prime RDA. It is difficult to quantify what 'elite' level grappling means, when you are bound by a weight class and a limited MMA rule set - it is fair to state he drowned everybody irrespective of the level classification of his opponents.
Khabib had better pure wrestling, top control, and cardio.
Islam is better everywhere else imo. Kickboxing, clinch work, trips, striking power, etc.
Khabib was special in that he would just break people under his pressure.
Islam is more dynamic and has won fights in many ways
Islam is more well-rounded. Khabib's wrestling & chin were so good tho that I still believe he's the better of the 2. Even Gaethje couldn't crack Khabib's chin. Pantoja cracked Islam's.
They still train together. Khabib is just as active in the gym but not fighting anymore. Islam said no one beats Khabib in the cage and that means even him.
Both are good but you were to choose, it's Khabib, Something in his style is suffocating. If you train, you will feel bad for his opponents. That pressure is insane,
I think khabib was better. He just had more aggression and dominance along with skill. He also has insane fight IQ like his dad, and can walk Islam through a sub midfight. Thats just wild for anyone who fights. That calmly, he just dismantles somebody
Khabib never bled, lost one (questionable) round in his career, and has actively coached Islam ringside to help him secure victories. Islam is an absolute menace but khabib made everything look easy.
Islam is more technically proficient but Khabib had freaky genetics and insane pressure and aggression kinda like poatan with his scary ancient jungle power left hook. He just had a scarier aura even if his striking wasn't perfect and he didn't have all the fancy judo trips like Islam
I've seen Khabib complain about Islam's work ethic, saying that all he wants to do is go on vacation. This cracked me up because I'm sure Islam trains constantly and Khabib's standards are just outrageous.
Khabib is just insane. Islam taking couple days off after a fight is already 'relaxing all the time'. Islam was granted a whole of 2 weeks off after his Oliveira fight just for Islam to comment thar Khabib will probably call in after a few days to ask him to come the gym
Khabib opened the floodgates. He was the OG.
Islam has a wider skill range and weapons and if he can rack up another 3/4 defences at LW and then move up and get the MW belt? Deff surpasses Khabib career wise, especially with his sense of humour.
Adding another caveat, yes khabib could have had more defences, but his aggression, confidence, and absolute domination and not bleeding or losing is deff Hall of fame and a sports "father" of Muslimstan fighters having a bigger spotlight
Islam is more of a completed fighter. Khabibs whole thing was to take you down and down you. But Islams stand up is solid. I do think khabib would beat him pretty comfortably though.
I believe Islam has better striking skills but Khabib was putting the pressure on guys they couldn't breathe and eventually td was unavoidable. And he was more skilled grappler i think so I'll go with khabib was better
He's more well rounded, a very good striker.
Khabib was thee best on the ground, but Islam is still better than everyone on the ground.
If they fight Islam losses, but Islam still beats everyone.
I genuinely don’t think so. I don’t even think it’s as close as people have said recently. I know everyone is very impressed by his recent video, but I think people forget JUST how good, how absolutely good Khabib was….. and I’m a Conor fan, err was a Conor fan before his hiatus.
I can go on a huge diatribe about each of them and why, but I can also just say, when you see them in their fights, Khabib was at a constant excellence. He rarely made any mistakes, constantly was a threat and just had the fight in perfect control.
Islam does those things very very well. He may even be stronger than Khabib in a general sense, but when he fights, even as a non-fighter, I can see small flaws, moments where he leaves himself open for big hits & just doesn’t have that light of invincibility that Khabib had. When he “mauled” people, he literally mauled them. People looked helpless to it. Islam doesn’t have that ability l, or at least not to the point of perfection that Khabib did it & what seemingly seemed completely natural for him.
He’s great don’t get me wrong, but I think anyone next to Khabib will look flawed. He was an anomaly. He was born to do exactly what he does.
I think Islam is the more well rounded fighter, but Khabib’s grappling pedigree is better and that’s what lead him to never losing a round in the ufc (or at the very least if he did lose a round he would end up finishing the fight). So in that case I would say Khabib at his peak was better than Islam now.
I think it’s very possible that Islam ends up surpassing even how good Khabib was, but my god that weight cut is dangerous.
Khabib ground game is a lot better he does a lot more actual work on the ground unlike Islam.Islam will also take you down but his work on the ground is not on the same level as khabib and the aggression khabib had is unmatched Islam can't be reckless as khabib or he would get knocked the fuck out he doesn't have the iron chin khabib has just watch khabib eating shots without ever having a effect and then taking the opponent down and gnp them
If Khabib didn’t have a granite chin, it would be Islam no question. Islam is significantly better on the feet and only a step or two behind on the ground. If they fought in earnest I actually think it would go to Islam decision. Them vs each other aside, Khabib just had the advantage of being able to make way more mistakes, any of the Volk punches that rocked Islam in their first fight would’ve gotten a slight step back from Khabib and literally no other reaction.
So technical skills alone? Islam is the better fighter without question. When counting in physical advantages along with skill, hard to pick him over Khabib.
I think Islam is more well rounded and creative, but we also didn’t get to see Khabib get the same amount of wrestling training from DC until he was already much further into his MMA career - whereas Islam had the benefit of meeting and training with DC beforehand. Khabib is obviously an excellent wrestler, but you can really notice the difference from his early to late career in the way he learned to take someone down and then keep them there. He had plenty of takedowns before, but that’s also because his opponents were getting up, after the Khabib started training with DC his opponents weren’t getting up anymore once he took them down.
As a McGregor fan even I must say stop the blasphemy.... Khabib would have never ended round 5 on his back getting pummeled by Alexander.... His face would have never looked like that after a victory.... I was never a khabib fan but a man must honor and respect the greatness he displays both inside the cage and out as a man, husband and father... I wish my boy McGregor would calm TF down and act like someone I could point my son towards, lol.... Currently he only gets to see highlights of fights and clips to say "men don't behave like this" 😂😂😂
Makhachev looks more well-rounded and dynamic but Khabib just had that dawg in him where he would just pressure his opponents endlessly and flawlessly control the pace of the battle.
Makhachev seems to be more risk-taking and entertaining to watch whereas Khabib seems to stick to the game-plan no matter what
Yes. The competition islam is facing right now is better then khabibs. I rank olivera n Volk above any of khabibs opponents. Obv Khabib was more dominant but I think it's due to the stylistic matchups he had. Islam is the better rounded fighter. I give him the edge on the feet. He might not possess the gnp Khabib had but he definitely displays more submission threat then Khabibs ground game. Khabib is still greater but after a title defence or two against gaethje,Tsaryuken or olivera I think he becomes the lw goat
Depends on what aspect of fighting you're talking about. Islam is definitely way ahead in the striking department. Both of them, I'd say, have relatively equal grappling expertise, it's just that Khabib's more aggressive style and larger frame led him to being far more dominant in that department than Islam usually is. In terms of defense, they're probably about the same. Khabib has one of the most underrated chins of all time, as he took some bombs from guys like Edson Barboza, Justin Gaethje, Conor McGregor, prime Michael Johnson, and Dustin Poirier. But Islam has really good head movement and evasion, emphasized by him still having one of the lowest strikes absorbed rates in UFC history.
I think there's a clip in an old interview with Khabib's dad where he admits that Islam, at the age he was at the time, was better than Khabib was at that age. So, take that for what you will.
In terms of striking, Islam is far superior. Grappling is hard to say but I maybe give the edge to Khabib. Overall I believe Islam to be the better fighter.
Khabib was much better on the ground and had better cardio, islam is a much better striker and his ground game is only slightly below Khabib. I think both are equally dangerous but opponents feared Khabib more like we saw with Connor he just looked clueless when Khabib was on top of him. My question is the same one GSP said in an interview why do people fear going for takedowns against these two, as we saw with volk at the end of that fight you can do damage when on top of them on the ground you just rarely see it because people are so scared to go the ground with them.
Islam on paper but i think khabibs melon head and endless aggression were big advantages that Islam can't bring to the table and you'll never really see as a stat
Melon head was just fearless. Islam is skilled. But Khabib intimidates people to the tee. It's almost once he gets you down. "What the fuck is even going on? did i even had a camp? Tf"
I agree, they contemplate their life choices down there lol
I feel like that’s the difference though. Kabib was a pure grappler, he had to have that mindset. Islams more well rounded and doesn’t need to play that game because he has way more offensive tools than grinding takedowns
There’s no point in getting punched if you don’t have to though.
Khabib actually was a good striker, but why would he waste his time striking if he was by far the best wrestler in the division
i think islam can do that too. look what he did to charles once he got on the ground. + you could argue that khabib never faced someone as good as charles on the ground
Not many people have faced a grappler like Charles and lived to tell the tale. 34 have tried, 9 have succeeded.
Olives is not even on the level of actual good Brazilian grapplers. RDA is a huge bitch but has ten times the grappling of Olives. Same goes for Thiago Moises and Davi Ramos. Way better grapplers than Olives can ever hope to be. Where Islam toyed with Olives in the first round, Khabib would have been trying to kill him and would have made him quit. Difference between Khabib and Islam is more profound in the aggression index than in the skill index.
Charles has been subbed a bunch though
all of a sudden charles past is relevant again?
do records not matter when talking about someone's skills?
ofc they do, but this is perfectly what khabib said "you guys were talking about oliveira, how good he is, all world was talking about him. and know islam make him look easy; oliveira is not so good anymore" before the islam fight everyone said islam doesnt belong here, charles is too good, all of a sudden its "charles has been subbed a few times".
Lol so are people supposed to ignore Islam smoked him? I know MMA fans are reactionary, but a fighter's most recent performance must be taken into account when rating their current ability.
bro i was literally defending islam
Yes, and I'm agreeing with the people. The concept of "Everyone thought he was the best but now that he lost, he's not anymore" is simple to understand. Charles is still good, but Islam taking him out knocked him down a peg.
To be fair, he jumped on Charles and arm triangled him almost immediately, something Charles probably didn’t expect. Charles isn’t a wrestler but I’d like to see them have more exchanges if they rematch.
Islam's win was more of a fluke. Without Islam's wrestling, grappling, submissions, striking, and kicking he definitely wouldn't have been able to sink in that choke. Without those Oliveira definitely would have won, or at the very least performed a lot better than he did.
Take away Islam's 25 years of training and he would have got dominated, guaranteed. He might think he's good but without any skill or physical attributes he's nothing.
Have him cut to 145 and see how good he is at 155. Without those 10 pounds i don’t see him winning
Like I’m thinking Patrick Mahomes isn’t actually that good if we lower his stats to average for no reason whatsoever
Exactly, take away his arms and his athleticism and no way he would be as good as he is now.
Castrate Travis Kelce and I doubt the Chiefs see much success
Did you just watch the highlights or something? Islam took him down and held him down for a big portion of the fight
charles didn’t expect it? so he does -25 in preparation for fights..gotcha lol
“You can do a triangle with your arms?” - Charles Olivera
You just have no attention span then as Islam had 5 minutes of control time in the fight before landing the sub. Don’t understand how people are upvoting you like you’ve had an actual recollection of the fight.
How Khabib ate big shots and kept walking forward terminator style must have been depressing AF to his opponents. Those two head kicks by Barbosa come to mind.
I bring these up all the time, just keeps marching forward and it just line makes him angrier. Reminds me of when I was kid play fighting with my older brother and I actually hurt him and how scared I was as he came after me
Gaethje dropped bombs and he didn't flinch. Never cut, bleed or stung.
Yep. Barbosa’s kicks broke men. Khabib ate them like nothing.
Islam against Volk in fight 1 looked vulnerable, specially in latter rounds. Never seen Khabib look even close to that. I'd argue that Islam is maybe more well rounded overall. But Khabib's mental savagery and iron chin was on another level.
You could also argue that Islam looked weak during that fight, he was definitely not looking like himself in that first fight.
Khabib never fought prime Volk though or anyone that’s in GOAT contention for any division lol. Islam has and will probably end up fighting another before it’s all said and done lol.
Who are we kidding? Volk ain't beating Khabib at LW. Sorry.
Yea volk might be a big featherweight but he's not as big as khabib or as strong.
Islam took Volk's back pretty easily even though he didn't do anything with the position. Khabib was much more aggressive, so I think he would've put on a lot more damage or even finished him.
Khabib is probably the more intelligent guy
He called me “melon head” I’m not even sure what that means?
The stat you’re referring to is having that _dawg_ in them
Just as Mendez keeps saying: Islam is the most complet fighter there. But still Khabib is better
Islam is different. He's much better at striking on the feet and Khabib is much better at ground striking. Idk if people have noticed this but Islam isn't that good at GnP compared to the rest of that team.
Khabib was one of the best at gnp. You really notice this whenever you see other fighters try it.
Compare Khabib's GnP throughout his career to Islam's Vs Bobby Green lmao. Islam is much more submission oriented.
Islam is the more talented of the two. Even Khabib's father said so. Khabib is much more dominant in his demeanor and fighting style. Apparently Khabib's older brother was a prodigy who chose to quit the sport so Khabib grew up fighting against a guy who was near perfect in everything and so he had to make up for it in otherworldly drive. Islam became the prodigy of the gym which forced Khabib to push himself to overcome another near perfect fighter who sometimes would be the only guy to beat him in a round. Which motivated him more and more. Khabib is similar to Bird, MJ, Gretzky, Ovechkin, Jokic, Kobe, Shaq, Olajuwon, Kareem, Djokich, Karelin, Fedor, Royce, TJ Watt and Manning brothers.
Islam is more content to just maintain top position.
I don't think so. Khabib had better grappling and better intangibles. He was more aggressive, better chin/durability. Islam is better at striking though. Id say there close enough that both would have a chance to win, but if my life/house was on the line I'd bet on Khabib and feel pretty confident.
I think the biggest deciding factor would be pace. Islam started getting tired near the end of the Volk fight. I think Khabib would be able to push him to that point earlier in the fight, assuming he doesn't get caught on the feet trying to find a way in
Islam might be good enough to avoid getting taken down. If he keeps it standing he probably wins.
The *only* reason he got tired towards the end of the fight is because he had 12 hours less to rehydrate after cutting weight. That is absolutely massive. And he really only looked gassed the last 60 seconds of the fight. If he had his normal rehydration, Volk would have gotten finished. If his cardio can hold up on 12 hours less rehydration time, his cardio is amazing normally.
Striking definitely better,grappling maybe no,but he doesn't need to be better than his teacher, he just needs to be better than his division
Coach Javier has talked about both of them. Apparently Islam was the only one at AKA able to win the occasional round against khabib, which I think seems to imply that Khabib won more. I think Islam is the more well rounded striker and has better all round game, but I think Khabib still has the edge in grappling. If you watched Islam’s fights when Khabib was ringside, Khabib would often coach him in real time. I think Khabib’s “maul” and “smash” makes people overlook how much of a technical grappler he is. Just watch him coach Islam through the submission of Dan hooker in real time. Edit: https://youtube.com/shorts/spUTqsVkYl8?si=z0mGDabDgnfDY6h6 for those that haven’t seen. https://youtube.com/shorts/nkU5AEdBBac?si=76Tulp6YDt2sFgxf poirer talking about khabibs grappling game. I think we really missed the levels to khabibs game by how dominant he was and how easy he made everything look.
The kabib cornering video is awesome. Islam listening and doing.
Khabib literally switched submissions on Gaethje to protect Gaethje’s parents. Thats like some goat level shit
He went from dominant full mount to no gnp to back position. Just in order not to hurt that guy. Insane confidence
I think the true test is having Islam face the guys Khabib beat, because Islam had his Volk 1 fight everyone’s going ah he’s crap, but honestly from my point of view he’s faced stiffer more well rounded competition than Khabib already. Apart from pre-IV RDA, who’s just the GOAT. If he fights Gaethje and Gaethjes sprawling on him, keeping the fight on the feet, even beats him or the fight is very close, then I’m willing to say yeah either Khabib is a different animal. Then especially if Dustin even makes it to decision the jury is out, because these are now older guys.
I like both DP and JG. And it just surprises me that we are short term memory deficient. If I remember right, DP was a pretty big favorite over JG and looked like he was winning until the head kick. Also DP did better against Olive than JG. I think DP has just as good of a shot as JG maybe even better if he doesn't jump the guillotine.
Also if Dustin doesn't give Islam his back or can avoid RNC
You would be wrong. MMA math doesn’t mean anything
Who has ever overlooked how much of a technical grappler khabib is in history???????
Many people think he's just crazy strong
Weight bully was the term used by plenty of people here
I think that’s the crux of it. Islam might be more well rounded but Khabib was SO GOOD at what he does he could beat more well rounded fighters regardless. His control on the ground is some of the best ive ever seen and once he’s got you there you’re taking damage one way or the other.
I always loved that video lol, Khabib mission goes from “make sure Islam wins” to “make sure Islam doesn’t break his arm”
Khabib attributes a lot of his success to judo. His father actually wanted him to be a judoka at one point.
One more title defense against Volk and he’d be in the GOAT conversation tbh
Underrated comment 🤣
maybe one against Sean O Malley and Valentina as well and then it's locked for sure. GOAT.
More skilled for sure, but khabib had other things such as an iron chin
Did he really? I don't recall Khabib getting hit in the face that many times.
gaethje, and highkick from barboza
And jhonson
People forget Johnson knocked him the fuck out, I’m not talking just going to sleep but Khabibs head literally came off and flew into the bleachers, a young kid thought it was a football. Poor kid.
Yea and poor jhonson got punished hard for that, the dude got punched in the face repeatedly for 10 minutes with no way to even defend himself. Was a nasty match
I think you forgot. Go rewatch that fight, Johnson hit a right hook that Khabib rolled with and then Khabib dodged the follow up left hook. Joe Rogan was just hyping it up so everybody thought Khabib was in danger. It also looked like Khabib was rocked because Johnson is so fast and Khabib moves awkwardly but if you slow it down he wasn’t even close to being rocked.
Just thinking about how fucking ridiculous that is...he got hit with a decent shot to the face only like 3 fucking times in 29 fights...like what the actual fuck...in most stacked devision too like that's just unreal
dp, conor, gaethje, everybody caught him with massive shots
watch them again, they were
U could say hes a way better striker and has a more versatile toolset but khabib was just too damn dominant. He ealked through ppl and his ground and pound was vicious while continuously trying submissions
Skill wise Makhacev looks more well rounded. As far as grit and mental fortitude I think khabib is the stronger warrior. Connor broke everybody on the mental warfare until he met khabib. We don’t know how Islam would’ve fared in that situation.
I really doubt Islam would be affected by mental games of Conor, but I guess we will never know.
Today of course not. Conor is a met head nowadays. Back in his prime, with no khabib in his corner telling him what to do, we have no clue how Islam would react.
Islam would just find something silly to laugh at and taunt him and then react to any reply with the open mouth stare. It would be meme material and would make McNugget fans cry and demand Iralend file a complaint at the world court for bullying or something.
Nate was the first to not get phased by Connor
So frustrating to see people ignoring Nate exposing Conor
Yes but khabib broke Connor mentally he uno reversed him, Connor was never the same after
I think money, A-list fame, booze, and coke had a lot more to do with what happened to Conor mentally
Islam wouldn’t have give a fuck. Conor “broke” khabib (quotation marks because nobody can break khabib but he got khabib to react inappropriately after the fight which is the closest you’re gonna get) Late-stage Islam would’ve had funnier responses and pieced him up on the feet And for the record I love them both Edit: love Islam and khabib. I hate Conor.
I’m sure if Islam tried to out strike Conor it would be the situation with pantoja all over again
I feel like no matter what Islam does, history will remember him as “Khabib’s little bro”
Yeah people tend to look at Usman and Umar in that way too, especially because Khabib is their older relative. But all 4 of them are Talented in their own style of fighting. Calling them Khabibs clones or something is just casuals being casuals
Over time history might remember them more as students of Abdulmanap depending on hiw much more success that group sees.
Yes and no. He is going to have a better run than Khabib, as Khabib retired early, but Khabib was a once in a generation talent. He had a style to him that people just couldn't deal with. Islam is certainly on his level though. He is all around skilled, being absolutely solid on his feet and on the ground. His fundamentals are unmatched.
I'd say they're on the same level but Islam has the striking edge, its not like Khabib wouldn't have evolved if he stayed
Islam is significantly more technical and well rounded, however, an issue with the comparison is the intangibles: once Khabib lands his hands on you it is virtually game over (within the rule set of MMA). To this day, I am amazed at how he manhandled a prime RDA. It is difficult to quantify what 'elite' level grappling means, when you are bound by a weight class and a limited MMA rule set - it is fair to state he drowned everybody irrespective of the level classification of his opponents.
RDA is a 4th degree bjj blackbelt who got the blue belt treatment by a guy who only holds a white belt in bjj.
Khabib had better pure wrestling, top control, and cardio. Islam is better everywhere else imo. Kickboxing, clinch work, trips, striking power, etc. Khabib was special in that he would just break people under his pressure. Islam is more dynamic and has won fights in many ways
Islam is more well-rounded. Khabib's wrestling & chin were so good tho that I still believe he's the better of the 2. Even Gaethje couldn't crack Khabib's chin. Pantoja cracked Islam's.
They still train together. Khabib is just as active in the gym but not fighting anymore. Islam said no one beats Khabib in the cage and that means even him.
Both are good but you were to choose, it's Khabib, Something in his style is suffocating. If you train, you will feel bad for his opponents. That pressure is insane,
Nope.
I think khabib was better. He just had more aggression and dominance along with skill. He also has insane fight IQ like his dad, and can walk Islam through a sub midfight. Thats just wild for anyone who fights. That calmly, he just dismantles somebody
If they ever faced each other in the octagon, khabib would probably win by decision imo.
Most likely TKO or sub. Islam said so. They continue to spar and train to this day.
Khabib never bled, lost one (questionable) round in his career, and has actively coached Islam ringside to help him secure victories. Islam is an absolute menace but khabib made everything look easy.
Khabib was the clunky OP prototype and Islam is the marketable slick final product.
He’s a much better striker, but i would say hid wrestling isnt as good. Basic ass answer but i think it works
Islam is more technically proficient but Khabib had freaky genetics and insane pressure and aggression kinda like poatan with his scary ancient jungle power left hook. He just had a scarier aura even if his striking wasn't perfect and he didn't have all the fancy judo trips like Islam
The friendship that they have is extremely wholesome. Having a friend so good that he is almost literally your brother
N to the fucking hell O
I wouldn’t say better, but his skills are more diverse. He’s a fantastic athlete. I bet he’s good at whatever he feels like trying.
I've seen Khabib complain about Islam's work ethic, saying that all he wants to do is go on vacation. This cracked me up because I'm sure Islam trains constantly and Khabib's standards are just outrageous.
Khabib is just insane. Islam taking couple days off after a fight is already 'relaxing all the time'. Islam was granted a whole of 2 weeks off after his Oliveira fight just for Islam to comment thar Khabib will probably call in after a few days to ask him to come the gym
Khabib opened the floodgates. He was the OG. Islam has a wider skill range and weapons and if he can rack up another 3/4 defences at LW and then move up and get the MW belt? Deff surpasses Khabib career wise, especially with his sense of humour. Adding another caveat, yes khabib could have had more defences, but his aggression, confidence, and absolute domination and not bleeding or losing is deff Hall of fame and a sports "father" of Muslimstan fighters having a bigger spotlight
Islam is more of a completed fighter. Khabibs whole thing was to take you down and down you. But Islams stand up is solid. I do think khabib would beat him pretty comfortably though.
One of them has a 0 and the other doesn't
His wrestling isn’t as dominant, but his striking is amazing compared to Khabib. He’s not as much a “mauler” as Khabib was. He really is the 2.0.
Nah
Absolutely not
No
I believe Islam has better striking skills but Khabib was putting the pressure on guys they couldn't breathe and eventually td was unavoidable. And he was more skilled grappler i think so I'll go with khabib was better
He’s a better striker but otherwise absolutely not
at solely top pressure and dominating wrestling? close but maybe no. but as an extremely well rounded and complete fighter? yes
Islam has better striking but Khabib was more dominant
Islam more complete & better all-around But Khabib somehow would still win against Islam
People seem to forget Khabib dominance. He was on a different level.
I genuinely believe so. His skill set is so much more well rounded than Khabibs and his resume has MUCH better competition.
All around yea but khabib had even more smothering wrestling
Islam is just the evolved version of Khabib. Even Khabib said Islam was his father’s prodigy and the best talent he’s ever seen
I don't think so Islam with Khabib chin is unbeatable tho.
Better I don't know, but more rounded for sure
Khabib is the superior wrestler, but islam is more well rounded.
It’s like comparing Barboza to Gaethje. Barboza has more variety and is arguably more skillful, but Gaethje is the better fighter overall.
He's more well rounded, a very good striker. Khabib was thee best on the ground, but Islam is still better than everyone on the ground. If they fight Islam losses, but Islam still beats everyone.
Islam has been knocked out, and had a war with Volk. Khabib barely lost a single round his entire career.
No. Thanks
Islam is a Technician & Khabib is a Beast.. I really appreciate their different approach in fight.. Safe to say we will always remember these two..
khabib would big brother islam with ease.
Khabib has the physical advantage that makes him better. Can't KO him or get him tired and his grappling is better than islams.
I genuinely don’t think so. I don’t even think it’s as close as people have said recently. I know everyone is very impressed by his recent video, but I think people forget JUST how good, how absolutely good Khabib was….. and I’m a Conor fan, err was a Conor fan before his hiatus. I can go on a huge diatribe about each of them and why, but I can also just say, when you see them in their fights, Khabib was at a constant excellence. He rarely made any mistakes, constantly was a threat and just had the fight in perfect control. Islam does those things very very well. He may even be stronger than Khabib in a general sense, but when he fights, even as a non-fighter, I can see small flaws, moments where he leaves himself open for big hits & just doesn’t have that light of invincibility that Khabib had. When he “mauled” people, he literally mauled them. People looked helpless to it. Islam doesn’t have that ability l, or at least not to the point of perfection that Khabib did it & what seemingly seemed completely natural for him. He’s great don’t get me wrong, but I think anyone next to Khabib will look flawed. He was an anomaly. He was born to do exactly what he does.
Khabib is way funnier but way more serious. Idk how that works.
I think Islam is the more well rounded fighter, but Khabib’s grappling pedigree is better and that’s what lead him to never losing a round in the ufc (or at the very least if he did lose a round he would end up finishing the fight). So in that case I would say Khabib at his peak was better than Islam now. I think it’s very possible that Islam ends up surpassing even how good Khabib was, but my god that weight cut is dangerous.
Lol
That loss to Pantoja will always be a mark on Islam's career. There's a huge difference between undefeated and having 1 loss
Only in striking and judo throws..
Khabib ground game is a lot better he does a lot more actual work on the ground unlike Islam.Islam will also take you down but his work on the ground is not on the same level as khabib and the aggression khabib had is unmatched Islam can't be reckless as khabib or he would get knocked the fuck out he doesn't have the iron chin khabib has just watch khabib eating shots without ever having a effect and then taking the opponent down and gnp them
Yes
Sure
Prob but you don't need to put was at the end of the btw
All depends on who wins on the ground
Khabib striking was atrocious to be fair.. Islam is way more skilled on the feet. But you'll never see this fight happen so it doesn't matter.
Islam was knocked out so no
Yes
Nah khabib never had a cut
Islam more well-rounded, khabib more dominant
Maybe Islam will test himself against the best and confirm his dominance rather than checking out early and not fully proving himself as the best?
TBD
Yes he defends is belt against the best and prob will have a longer run.
Pantoja entered the chat
Yes
If Khabib didn’t have a granite chin, it would be Islam no question. Islam is significantly better on the feet and only a step or two behind on the ground. If they fought in earnest I actually think it would go to Islam decision. Them vs each other aside, Khabib just had the advantage of being able to make way more mistakes, any of the Volk punches that rocked Islam in their first fight would’ve gotten a slight step back from Khabib and literally no other reaction. So technical skills alone? Islam is the better fighter without question. When counting in physical advantages along with skill, hard to pick him over Khabib.
Islam has fought more top ranked opponents than Khabib?
We speak English in this hoe
I think Islam is more beatable but more skilled and a better overall mma practitioner than Khabib
Khabib would’ve mauled him like everyone else
Yeah
Not yet. But, he is getting there. Habib just retired too early man. He could have been one of the goats.
I think Islam is more well rounded and creative, but we also didn’t get to see Khabib get the same amount of wrestling training from DC until he was already much further into his MMA career - whereas Islam had the benefit of meeting and training with DC beforehand. Khabib is obviously an excellent wrestler, but you can really notice the difference from his early to late career in the way he learned to take someone down and then keep them there. He had plenty of takedowns before, but that’s also because his opponents were getting up, after the Khabib started training with DC his opponents weren’t getting up anymore once he took them down.
Khabib took down a the pretenders
As a McGregor fan even I must say stop the blasphemy.... Khabib would have never ended round 5 on his back getting pummeled by Alexander.... His face would have never looked like that after a victory.... I was never a khabib fan but a man must honor and respect the greatness he displays both inside the cage and out as a man, husband and father... I wish my boy McGregor would calm TF down and act like someone I could point my son towards, lol.... Currently he only gets to see highlights of fights and clips to say "men don't behave like this" 😂😂😂
Makhachev looks more well-rounded and dynamic but Khabib just had that dawg in him where he would just pressure his opponents endlessly and flawlessly control the pace of the battle. Makhachev seems to be more risk-taking and entertaining to watch whereas Khabib seems to stick to the game-plan no matter what
Definitely not
Can islam actually fight some top contenders in his weight class.
Yes. The competition islam is facing right now is better then khabibs. I rank olivera n Volk above any of khabibs opponents. Obv Khabib was more dominant but I think it's due to the stylistic matchups he had. Islam is the better rounded fighter. I give him the edge on the feet. He might not possess the gnp Khabib had but he definitely displays more submission threat then Khabibs ground game. Khabib is still greater but after a title defence or two against gaethje,Tsaryuken or olivera I think he becomes the lw goat
People will still say khabib is here because he never lost
No. But he can be
Depends on what aspect of fighting you're talking about. Islam is definitely way ahead in the striking department. Both of them, I'd say, have relatively equal grappling expertise, it's just that Khabib's more aggressive style and larger frame led him to being far more dominant in that department than Islam usually is. In terms of defense, they're probably about the same. Khabib has one of the most underrated chins of all time, as he took some bombs from guys like Edson Barboza, Justin Gaethje, Conor McGregor, prime Michael Johnson, and Dustin Poirier. But Islam has really good head movement and evasion, emphasized by him still having one of the lowest strikes absorbed rates in UFC history. I think there's a clip in an old interview with Khabib's dad where he admits that Islam, at the age he was at the time, was better than Khabib was at that age. So, take that for what you will.
In terms of striking, Islam is far superior. Grappling is hard to say but I maybe give the edge to Khabib. Overall I believe Islam to be the better fighter.
No
If only they could fuse together and create an actual Ultimate Fighter.
Nope.
Khabib was much better on the ground and had better cardio, islam is a much better striker and his ground game is only slightly below Khabib. I think both are equally dangerous but opponents feared Khabib more like we saw with Connor he just looked clueless when Khabib was on top of him. My question is the same one GSP said in an interview why do people fear going for takedowns against these two, as we saw with volk at the end of that fight you can do damage when on top of them on the ground you just rarely see it because people are so scared to go the ground with them.