Khabib Nurmagomedov is on the short list of any conversation concerning the best MMA fighters of all time and he expects Islam Makhachev to join him someday.
But can Makhachev make it to the very top?
The reigning welterweight champion and former lightweight champion defends his 170-pound title in the main event of UFC 330 this Saturday, when he fights top contender Ian Machado Garry. Should Makhachev win, he’ll join a short list of fighters to successfully defend UFC titles in two weight classes and he’ll break Anderson Silva’s record for the most consecutive wins in UFC history with 17.
In an interview with Lex Fridman, Nurmagomedov was asked about his own standing on the GOAT list and if Makhachev can someday be considered the best fighter ever.
“I’ve never said that [about myself],” Nurmagomedov said (Russian-to-English translation via Fridman). “I never set out to become No. 1 or to become the greatest athlete and so on. I never had that. My goal was always to become the best in my sport, to become a world champion, to prove to myself that I could do it. But it’s hard to choose just one person. Even now, there’s always going to be [Georges] St-Pierre, there’s always going to be Demetrious Johnson, there’s always going to be Jon Jones, there’s always going to be Fedor [Emelianenko]. If people want to include me in that conversation, if Islam gets into that conversation, if there’s Cain Velasquez, [Daniel] Cormier, and so on, I’d be happy about that.
“And that’s my goal, that someone from our team, from the people closest to me, gets there, too. If Jon Jones is there, why can’t Islam be there? If Demetrious Johnson is there with 11 title defenses, why can’t Islam be there? It’s a good question. Why not? I’d like him to break all those records, to overtake Jon Jones, Demetrious Johnson, and St-Pierre, no matter how much respect I have for them.”
Makhachev already holds one UFC record, having previously successfully defended the promotion’s lightweight title four straight times. Overall as a pro, Makhachev is 28-1, with his lone loss coming at the hands of Adriano Martins in his second UFC appearance back in 2015.
He currently stands as the No. 1 fighter in MMA Fighting’s Pound-for-Pound Rankings. Makhachev turns 35 in October and while he has made no definitive timeline for retirement, Nurmagomedov believes his childhood friend and lifelong training partner has a tall hill to climb as he looks to close out his career with big fights.
“Islam has a chance, but time is starting to run out a little,” Nurmagomedov said. “This worries me because, for example, Jones fought at light heavyweight and now at heavyweight. Time is a little kinder to those divisions. Even at 38, you can still compete at the heavier weights. You don’t need the same reaction speed and all that.
“But when you compete in lighter weight classes, 155, 170, age really catches up. I think active fighters, retired fighters, wrestlers, athletes, especially those who competed in these weight classes, will understand what I’m talking about. When you’re 35 and when you’re 32 and when you’re 38, you’re a totally different athlete.”
Nurmagomedov and Makhachev were raised together, and Nurmagomedov says his father, famed coach Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, considered Makhachev to be one of his favorite students.
It’s that deep bond and shared purpose that has put Makhachev on the path to greatness—and possibly becoming the greatest of all time.
“We trained together for many years,” Nurmagomedov said. “And he never had to go anywhere to find a sparring partner because he always had one in the gym. So I developed by training with the older guys in the gym, the stronger guys, the better guys when I was young. Then when they left, I was the one in front. Islam kept growing, growing, growing. Now I left. Islam is the one in front. And now other guys are developing through him. This is a kind of chain that exists in a gym, in a training system that produces the best fighters in the world. And in this chain, Islam was always behind me. If I was behind someone, Islam was behind me. Now, others are following. Islam, Usman [Nurmagomedov], Amru [Nurmagomedov], and other guys. You could put them against any of the best fighters in the world right now, and they would perform very well.
“So in this chain we’ve had since 2003, and now it’s already 2026, that’s 23 years. Islam was the one coming up behind me. And now there are younger guys coming up behind Islam. And it’s no secret that Islam will turn 35 in October, but what makes me happy is that there are younger guys coming up behind him. I left. Islam stepped in. One day Islam will leave, too, and others will take his place. And this cycle, it never ends. It keeps going, and it keeps pulling the next generation forward.”