Daniel Cormier Hypes up Islam Makhachev- Compares Him to Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Skill-Set

Published 01/04/2021, 12:02 AM EST

Islam Makhachev has had an unfortunate 2020. The Russian fighter last fought in September 2019 when he secured a unanimous decision win over Davi Ramos at UFC 242. He has since been out of action due to uncontrollable circumstances. Makhachev is a highly touted mixed martial artist and Khabib Nurmagomedov has backed him to become a UFC champion in the future.

Makhachev was supposed to face his biggest test to date in Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 254. However, a positive test ruled ‘RDA’ out of the bout against the promising fighter. The fight was later rescheduled for December. Unfortunately, this time around it was Makhachev who withdrew from the fight.

Read: Islam Makhachev reveals the reason for his withdrawal from fight against Rafael dos Anjos

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Daniel Cormier showers praise on Islam Makhachev

In a recent interview with the SCMP MMA, the reporters asked ‘The Eagle’s’ friend Daniel Cormier for his view on the next lightweight title challenger.

‘DC’ said, “Islam Makhachev. But not only because he is one of my friends and teammates, but I really believe Islam Makhachev is as talented as anyone in the world. And he does have the fighting style to present a lot of problems for people.”

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“You know I think that because of the way he came into the UFC, he had that loss to Adriano Martins way back in the day in his second UFC fight, and he doesn’t really jump off the page as much as Khabib does.”

Cormier continued, “His style does not seem as aggressive, but trust me, he has all the same abilities. And in the standup, he is very, very well-rounded and very skilled in that area of mixed martial arts. As you guys saw earlier in Khabib’s career, he struggled there, right? He wasn’t polished. He is much more polished today.”

Makhachev gets a chance to start 2021 on a good note as he takes on Drew Dober at UFC 259. MMA fans and the fighter himself will be hoping that he is able to stay fit and can compete multiple times in 2021. And possibly make a run at the title as well.

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What do you make of Daniel Cormier’s endorsement of the young mixed martial artist?

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Written by:

Kevin Binoy is an MMA author at EssentiallySports. He earned a Bachelor's degree from Fergusson College and has been covering sports professionally for over two years. Besides working with the MMA writing team, Kevin is a core member of the organization's web stories team and is responsible for delivering engaging MMA web stories.

Daniel Cormier Hypes up Islam Makhachev- Compares Him to Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Skill-Set

Daniel Cormier showers praise on Islam Makhachev

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