Islam Makhachev is on the rise at the UFC’s lightweight division. The Dagestani star is often compared with his teammate and former UFC lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov. ‘The Eagle’ and Makhachev both share a dominant grappling game. Many have tipped Makhachev to follow Nurmagomedov’s footsteps and eventually become a UFC champion.

A recent Twitter post by the ‘MMA By The Numbers’ handle has compared Nurmagomedov and Makhachev by stats after their first 9 UFC fights. It is a truly insightful post for the UFC fanatics. While Nurmagomedov has fought 13 times in the UFC during his perfect professional career, Makhachev has made 9 appearances inside the Octagon so far.

Makhachev, who has 4 finishes in his 8-1 UFC record, suffered a knockout loss in his second UFC appearance. This is the only loss of his professional career so far. Other than that rare incident, his dominance has been prominent so far in his UFC career. He most recently earned a spectacular submission win over Drew Dober at UFC 259. The Dagestani has landed 173 significant strikes, absorbing 67 in the process. He has 69% takedown accuracy and 53% control.

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Nurmagomedov, on the other hand, also had 4 finishes in his first 9 Octagon appearances. He landed 364 significant strikes, absorbing 143. He had a 48% takedown accuracy and 54% control.

Needless to say, both have been dominant in their own way. Given the numbers, Makhachev is well on track as he compares very well with the retired Nurmagomedov.

Who is Islam Makhachev fighting next?

Makhachev will take on Brazilian Thiago Moises in the main event of a UFC Fight Night clash this weekend. This will be Makhachev’s first opportunity to headline a UFC card. He will have a worthy opponent in Moises who is looking to make a name for himself too. A win for either man will catapult them higher in the 155 lbs division of the UFC.

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Makhachev is under the guidance of Nurmagomedov as well. ‘The Eagle‘ keeps a close eye on his teammate and wants to mentor him to the UFC title in the near future.

Hence, Makhachev could actually be on track to eclipse Khabib Nurmagomedov after 13 UFC fights.