Famed MMA coach Firas Zahabi believes Khabib Nurmagomedov would still beat the UFC’s leading lightweights, even in an extreme two-fight scenario against Justin Gaethje and Ilia Topuria on the same night. The Tristar Gym head coach, best known for guiding Georges St-Pierre, said he would select the retired former champion over both men in separate five-round bouts.
“I think Khabib is ahead for this time. It’s not that he was just great in our time – I think he’d still beat everybody today,” Zahabi said. “He’d beat Gaethje right now. He’d beat Topuria. If it were Khabib vs. Topuria in a five-round fight, and then Khabib vs. Gaethje in another five-round fight on the same night, I’d still pick Khabib to win both.”
Former UFC Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov Favored Over Justin Gaethje and Ilia Topuria
The claim lands shortly after Gaethje won the undisputed UFC lightweight championship at UFC Freedom 250 on the White House South Lawn. The 37-year-old stopped Topuria after four rounds, with Topuria’s corner ending the fight before round five. The result handed Topuria the first loss of his professional career and gave Gaethje an undisputed UFC title at his third attempt.
Zahabi’s view draws on Nurmagomedov’s record against Gaethje. At UFC 254 in October 2020, Nurmagomedov submitted Gaethje with a triangle choke at 1:34 of the second round, unified the lightweight belts, and announced his retirement after the contest. He finished his MMA career at 29-0 and went 13-0 in the UFC.
Nurmagomedov had already produced defining championship wins over Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier. He submitted McGregor in the fourth round of their UFC 229 title fight in October 2018, then submitted Poirier in round three at UFC 242 the following year. The Gaethje win was another successful title defense, following the McGregor and Poirier bouts.
The matchup with Topuria is hypothetical, yet it presents a different question from a rematch with Gaethje. Topuria showed he could take early rounds against Gaethje at Freedom 250, but he was hurt repeatedly as the fight moved on and did not answer the bell for the final round. Gaethje turned the contest with sustained pressure and damaging strikes after entering as the underdog.
Nurmagomedov has remained involved with fighters from Dagestan since retiring. Islam Makhachev, his longtime friend and training partner, became UFC welterweight champion after previously holding the lightweight belt, and Nurmagomedov continues to feature in his preparation.
Two championship-length fights on one night would test any athlete. Still, Zahabi’s point is clear. He rates Nurmagomedov’s wrestling control, clinch work, pressure, and submission threat highly enough to favor him over the champion and former division king Topuria.
