Khabib Nurmagomedov has claimed that his friend and mentee Islam Makhachev will have a tougher time against Jack Della Maddalena than he would against Ilia Topuria.
Makhachev followed in the footsteps of Khabib, his childhood friend, by winning the UFC lightweight title in 2022, but he gave up the belt in June to pursue the welterweight title.
The Russian, 33, is expected to challenge Della Maddalena for that strap later this year, though many fans would have preferred to see Makhachev keep the lightweight title and defend it against Topuria.
Topuria vacated the featherweight belt in February with an eye on a lightweight title shot, and he ended up fighting Charles Oliveira for the vacant gold after Makhachev left the division. Topuria knocked out Oliveira in round one to stay unbeaten.
But while many fans see Topuria vs Makhachev as arguably the best fight that could be made in MMA right now, Khabib thinks “JDM” will be a tougher foe for his friend than Topuria would.
“I think Maddalena is the toughest opponent in Islam’s career,” the retired Khabib, 36, told Adam Zubayraev in Russian. “That’s my opinion.
“Not Charles, no one else,” he added, referencing Makhachev’s submission of Oliveira to win the lightweight title. “None of those other fighters. That’s just my personal opinion.
“First of all, Maddalena is twice the size of Ilia. Taller, bigger, stronger legs, bigger frame. His boxing is just as good, and in grappling, he scrambles really well – if you’ve watched him.
“For me, if I were preparing Islam for either Ilia or Maddalena, I’d be more concerned – and am more concerned – about Maddalena.”
Della Maddalena, 28, won the welterweight title in May by outpointing Belal Muhammad, a teammate of Makhachev. The Australian put on a clinic in striking and defensive wrestling, extending his win streak to 18.
JDM actually lost his first two MMA fights, in 2016, but he has not lost since. He now prepares to face a fighter on a 15-fight win streak in Makhachev.
The latter’s sole loss in MMA occurred in 2015, when he was knocked out by Adriano Martins, but his ensuing dominance has drawn comparisons to that of Khabib. While Makhachev is a much more dynamic striker than Nurmagomedov was, Makhachev is similarly effective with his wrestling.
Nurmagomedov retired unbeaten in 2020 after retaining the lightweight title for a then-record-equalling third time. He proceeded to move into coaching, helping guide Makhachev to a record-breaking four lightweight title defences.
Most fans see Makhachev or Topuria as the UFC’s current pound-for-pound No 1 fighter, with the other as No 2.
