Detailed analysis highlights Khabib's underrated middle-range boxing skills

A deep dive into Khabib Nurmagomedov's often-overlooked middle-distance boxing reveals how crucial it was to his dominance. According to the analysis, Khabib won or held even on the middle distance in four of his last five fights, including dominating performances against Barboza (25-11 striking count) and Al Iaquinta (77-23). Even against elite strikers like Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje, Khabib's jab and middle-range striking allowed him to maintain pressure safely and set up his wrestling. The post argues that without this skill, Khabib would have struggled to push opponents to the fence where his wrestling was most effective, and speculates he would have dominated welterweight contenders like Woodley, Covington, Edwards, Masvidal, and Thompson.