The UFC lightweight division is the talk of the town. Although there is no champion, Charles Oliveira knows he will compete for the title in the next UFC lightweight championship bout. However, the identity of his opponent has been debated a lot. One name that has been doing the rounds is Islam Makhachev. The Dagestani’s long-time training partner Khabib Nurmagomedov shared his opinion on the fight between ‘Do Bronx’ and Makhachev.

In an interview with ESPN MMA’s Brett Okamoto, Nurmagomedov said, “Charles Oliveira coach say, okay come to Brazil fight. No problem. Send us location. We are gonna come to Brazil.”

He further added, “Islam gonna ride Charles Oliveira like his horse. We gonna take this belt. We gonna show them if Sambo was easy, it would be called Jiu-Jitsu, and we gonna go home with belt, UFC lightweight belt.” 

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It is not surprising to see ‘The Eagle’ make a statement like that. The former UFC lightweight champion has always been an advocate of Sambo. Before entering the UFC, Nurmagomedov was heavily involved in both training and competing in it.

Why Khabib Nurmagomedov holds Sambo in higher regard than BJJ?

If one needs to understand the reason behind Khabib Nurmagomedov’s dominance, it is important to look into his past. ‘The Eagle’ competed in Combat Sambo just like his teammate, Islam Makhachev.

Combat Sambo is very similar to Mixed Martial Arts, as fighters can strike and grapple. There has often been a notion that BJJ does not possess effective takedowns in its arsenal. That is where one can say Sambo excels. In its grappling curriculum, Sambo has a mix of Judo, Freestyle Wrestling, and Greco-Roman Wrestling along with chokes, locks, etc.

As a two-time Combat Sambo world champion, fans can see the effectiveness of the takedowns in The Eagle’s game. The world has known Nurmagomedov for his top game, pressure, and relentless takedowns. The former UFC fighter set a record of landing 21 takedowns in a single UFC bout.

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The success Nurmagomedov has had with his grappling can be credited to his time spent in training Combat Sambo. Hence, he may have a higher regard for sambo over BJJ.

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What do you make of Nurmagomedov’s views on Sambo and Islam Makhachev vs Charles Oliveira?