Khabib Nurmagomedov: UFC 319 aftermath re-ignites Khamzat Chimaev vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov debate among MMA fans: "Fiercer and stronger"

Khamzat Chimaev's dominant title win against Dricus du Plessis at UFC 319 ignited a fan debate about whether 'Borz' was a better grappler than Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Chimaev defeated du Plessis at UFC 319 in Chicago last weekend and became the new middleweight king. The Chechen-born fighter dominated du Plessis on the ground over five rounds and won the fight via unanimous decision. In the aftermath, many began wondering how Chimaev's grappling compared to Nurmagomedov's.

'The Eagle' is notably considered the greatest lightweight champion ever and was known for his dominant style of wrestling. Nurmagomedov retired in October 2020 with an undefeated 29-0 record, out of which 11 wins came via submission.

After @acdmma_ posed the question via an X post, fans flocked to the comments section to express their thoughts.

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One fan wrote:

"Chimaev is a better wrestler, but Khabib's ground and pound was brutal."

Another fan wrote:

"They are both legends, but Khamzat is fiercer and stronger."

Check out some more fan reactions below:

When an ex-UFC star compared Khamzat Chimaev and Khabib Nurmagomedov's grappling skills

Earlier this year, ex-UFC star Josh Thomson compared Khamzat Chimaev to Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev in terms of their grappling prowess. Thomson claimed that Chimaev's wrestling skills weren't on Makhachev's or Nurmagomedov's level.

In an episode of the We Want Picks podcast, Thomson pointed out that Chimaev tended to fatigue in the latter rounds of fights and said:

''My thing is, we've seen where Gilbert Burns is at now. Kevin Holland went through more slump after he lost to him, then he fought Kamaru Usman on one week's notice, coming up in weight from a 70 to 85, struggled, and lost the third round. Robert Whittaker, very fast fight, but because of injury already...so is he [Chimaev] as good as we think he is? I've said this for the longest time, the sample size is not big enough for me.''

He continued:

''Are we giving him the Khabib credit? No one is like Khabib, nobody is like Islam. Khabib didn't get tired...is he [Chimaev] as good as people think or are we getting a fraud check here soon with DDP [Dricus du Plessis].''

About the author

Nishant brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his MMA reporting for Sportskeeda. During his 1.5 years with the organization and previous work, Nishant has established himself as a prolific writer in the MMA community. With a Bachelor's degree in Media and Journalism and a Master's degree in International Relations, Nishant's educational background enhances his analytical and reporting skills.

Nishant admires UFC legend Georges St-Pierre for his dominance and exemplary conduct inside and outside the cage. The monumental UFC 229 event, headlined by a grudge match between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor, captivated Nishant and solidified his passion for MMA.

Nishant focuses on delivering high-quality content by giving attention to detail, and rigorous fact-checking via multiple layers. His dedication is evident in his achievement of publishing over 1.7K articles and accumulating 4.4 million reads in less than two years.

Nishant feels that it is only a matter of time that MMA takes over Boxing as the no.1 combat sport. Beyond MMA, his interests include philosophy, music exploration, and wildlife photography.

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Edited by Nishant Zende.