There’s a reason certain fantasy matchups refuse to die. And when Real American Freestyle (RAF) enters the conversation, those old debates suddenly feel relevant again. Under a rule set built for aggression, urgency, and pure wrestling, the question almost asks itself: who would actually give Khabib Nurmagomedov real problems on the mat?

That’s the lens RAF has opened. Six minutes, no cage, no strikes, and no coasting. Just takedowns, exposure, step-outs, and relentless pressure. In a format where passivity is punished and the criteria can decide everything, dominance looks different. So when Chael Sonnen was asked who could challenge Khabib most under those rules, his answer didn’t feel nostalgic. It felt logical.

Speaking with The Schmo in a clip shared by Red Corner MMA on X, Sonnen didn’t hesitate long.

“Wow, I love that. I don’t think… I’ll go with Georges St-Pierre. If you’re bringing in former as well, I think that was the match. There was talk that they were gonna pay $5 million for a grappling match between those two. I think that was embellished, but boy, I would have bought that pay-per-view. I’d have loved to see Georges versus Khabib,” Sonnen said.

Sonnen isn’t guessing from afar. He’s a longtime analyst, a former title challenger, and now a commentator for the RAF itself. He understands how these matches score and how unforgiving the structure is. And in his mind, GSP’s blend of timing, balance, and adaptability would translate best against ‘The Eagle’s pressure-heavy approach.

Because under RAF rules, with three rounds of two minutes, a single step out is a point. A brief lapse of activity puts you on the shot clock. Exposure from a throw can swing a match instantly. This isn’t about wearing someone down over 25 minutes. It’s about winning exchanges, one by one, under constant scrutiny.

That’s where GSP’s name makes sense. Historically, Georges St-Pierre thrived in moments that demanded precision. He didn’t just wrestle to hold. He wrestled to score, to reset, and to dictate where the fight lived. In a criteria-based system where the last point can decide everything, IQ matters as much as brute force.

Khabib Nurmagomedov, on the other hand, built his legend on inevitability. Chain wrestling, suffocating control, and a refusal to give ground. In MMA, that translated into 29–0. In freestyle scoring, though, things shift. A failed takedown that ends in a step-out still costs you. A stalled position risks the shot clock. There’s no cage to lean on, no ground-and-pound to accumulate damage. Every action must earn points or concede them.

That’s not to say Nurmagomedov wouldn’t thrive. Far from it. His sambo base, balance, and scrambling instincts would still be elite. But the RAF narrows the margins. It rewards initiative and punishes even brief pauses.

While Sonnen’s pick focuses on a stylistic matchup for the RAF ruleset, stories from Khabib’s own camp reveal who pushed him to his limits day in and day out, offering a different perspective on what it means to challenge ‘The Eagle’.

AKA Thailand owner reveals one name that went toe-to-toe with Khabib Nurmagomedov in the gym

Even for Khabib Nurmagomedov, the man who never lost when the lights were on, there was one training partner who consistently pushed him harder than anyone else. That revelation came from Mike Swick, owner of AKA Thailand, who recently peeled back the curtain on what really happened in the gym. According to him, there was no long list of names. Just one.

“He’s the only one that gave Khabib any kind of competition and trouble in the gym,” Swick said recently, pointing directly at Islam Makhachev.

So where did that trouble actually come from? Swick was quick to clarify that it wasn’t some mythical stalemate on the mat, “The one thing Islam is a little more proficient in than where Khabib came from was striking. Khabib is very good on the ground—very good basics and very strong—super strong. So Islam is obviously right next to him there. I give Khabib the edge on basics and being better on the ground.”

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Khabib Nurmagomedov was the immovable force. Islam Makhachev, on the other hand, was the evolving weapon. As such, Chael Sonnen’s Georges St-Pierre pick speaks to that reality. It’s about who can win exchanges, manage criteria, and stay aggressive without giving points away.

At the same time, the gym stories matter just as much. Islam Makhachev, being the only man to consistently trouble ‘The Eagle’ in training, doesn’t rewrite history, but it adds texture to it. That’s the real intrigue the RAF debate brings back into focus. Do you think GSP would have been able to flip the script on a wrestling mat against the Dagestani juggernaut? Let us know in the comments below!