Khabib Nurmagomedov, the former UFC lightweight champion, revealed the name of a UFC fighter who has the potential to career forward his legacy in the sport.

Ever since ‘The Eagle’ retired from professional fighting, he is training his teammates and cousin for their respective MMA careers. One big name that trains under him is the UFC lightweight fighter Islam Makhachev.

Under the wings of ‘The Eagle,’ Makhachev has shown drastic improvements in his performances. He is currently on an eleven-fight undefeated streak. Now, Nurmagomedov is demanding a 155 lbs title fight for him in order to achieve his father’s dream of seeing Makhachev hold the title.

Many UFC fans are already seeing a shadow of Nurmagomedov in Makhachev, given his performance. However, ‘The Eagle’ recently named one more fighter who will become the next champion and carry Nurmagomedov’s legacy.

“It’s gonna be Umar (Nurmagomedov). It’s gonna be Umar. He has fight 26th June. I don’t wanna talk about him like too much, you know. Because he have to deserve this. Like Islam did,” Nurmagomedov said in an interview with MMA Underground.

“Islam deserves this. Because he showed like last 11 months he finished four opponents, you know. And in UFC to finish four opponents in 11 months, this is like you have to be a high-level fighter,” Nurmagomedov added. 

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“Now, Umar gonna fight 26th June. He have very good opponent 3-0 in UFC. After that our contract finish we gonna negotiation we gonna make new contract. And I think like after one and a half year, people are gonna talk about him. Like all the media. Just give him a little bit time. He’s still young.” Nurmagomedov concluded.

Many fans are curious about the potential of lesser known fighter after he was highly rated by one of the legends of the MMA world.

Does Umar Nurmagomedov has the potential to be the next Khabib Nurmagomedov?

It will not be wise to say there’s going to be someone like Khabib Nurmagomedov. However, stylistically, there will surely be some good fighters in the future. One of them is Umar Nurmagomedov.

Umar has an undefeated professional record of 14-0 under his name. He is 2-0 in the UFC, both finishes. Although Umar is still in the initial stage of his career, his rise in the sport looks similar to the Eagle who came from Dagestan Khabib.

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Also, after his father’s death, Khabib started training Makhachev. The latter has shown great improvements. Similarly, training under ‘The Eagle’ at such an early stage of his career will hugely help Umar walk Khabib’s path.

Do you think Umar has the potential to become the next Khabib? Let us know in the comments below.