Former undisputed lightweight champion and Hall of Fame inductee, Khabib Nurmagomedov has been backed to “easily” dispatch incumbent middleweight kingpin, Sean Strickland if he ever makes a return to the UFC – that’s according to close friend and training partner, Islam Makhachev.
Nurmagomedov, a former undisputed lightweight champion under the banner of the UFC, called time on his 29-0 undefeated professional career back in 2020, landing a second round triangle choke submission win over then-interim lightweight titleholder, Justin Gaethje.
In the time since, the Dagestani wrestling ace has turned his hand to coaching alongside head coach, Javier Mendez at American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, California, guiding the aforenoted, Makhachev to a vacant title win over former champion, Charles Oliveira at UFC 280 back in October of last year.
Khabib Nurmagomedov backed to even defeat Sean Strickland in a middleweight move
Noting his awareness of fan interest in a return to the Octagon for him for one final fight in search of a perfect 30-fight professional career, Nurmagomedov has been backed to even prove too much for middleweight champion, Strickland if he makes a comeback, by UFC 294 headliner, Makhachev.
“Today, I was asked: Can Khabib (Nurmagomedov) come back and beat Sean Strickland in a championship fight?” Islam Makhachev said on his official Instagram account. “I can confidently answer that he can easily do it. It’s been three years since Khabib Nurmagomedov retired but he never misses a training session and I can say without a doubt, if he wants to, it’ll be no effort to him.”
Winning the middleweight crown back in September, Covina native, Strickland turned in a spectacular upset win over former two-time divisional champion, Israel Adesanya, stopping the City Kickboxing striker with a one-sided unanimous decision win in Sydney, Australia.
What are your thoughts on a fight between Sean Strickland and Khabib Nurmagomedov?