It almost seemed written in the stars that after Khabib Nurmagomedov retired on top of the lightweight division, Islam Makhachev would take over in his place.
What wasn't predictable at the time was that Makhachev would go on to be arguably the best fighter in the sport today.
The current lightweight champion has been so impressive since winning the belt at UFC 280 that it has led to the conversation of whether he's better than "The Eagle" ever was.
Another big question is whether Makhachev will ever be able to overtake his close friend's legacy after Nurmagomedov retired with an undefeated record of 29-0.
Though there isn't competition between them, the 32-year old was always going to have high expectations hanging over him.
John Kavanagh Outlines How Islam Makhachev Can Potentially Overtake Khabib Nurmagomedov
Though Makhachev doesn't have the option of beating Nurmagomedov's undefeated run, there are ways that he can accomplish feats that the former champion didn't.
The current 155-pound king has spoken a lot about wanting to move to welterweight in the near future though those plans seem to have been put on hold now that Belal Muhammad, who does parts of his camps with Makhachev and Nurmagomedov, has become the 170-pound champion.
In a recent interview with Islam Babadzhanov, John Kavanagh gave his take on if and how Makhachev can pull out in front of "The Eagle".
The long-time coach of Conor McGregor at SBG Ireland also pointed to the lightweight champion adding a second belt to his collection which Nurmagomedov never had the option to do.
Wow. I'm sure there is [a chance for him to outdo Khabib] but it's hard. You know, Khabib had obviously such a fantastic run. Maybe Islam can do a 'champ champ' and go up some weight classes. We will see.
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