Analysis: Khabib Nurmagomedov's underrated striking on the feet

A detailed breakdown argues that Khabib Nurmagomedov's boxing and middle-distance striking were underrated skills that enabled his dominant wrestling game. Using a point-scoring system across his last five UFC fights, the analysis shows Khabib won or equaled the striking exchanges against elite strikers: he dominated Edson Barboza (25-11) and Al Iaquinta (77-23) on the feet, went even with Dustin Poirier (6-6) and Justin Gaethje (14-12.25), and only slightly lost to Conor McGregor (16-19) in standup exchanges. Justin Gaethje specifically praised Khabib's jab, noting it was highly effective due to his level-change threats. The author concludes that without solid middle-distance striking, Khabib would have struggled to execute his cage-wrestling game plan, as he needed to safely cross distance and often land strikes to set up takedowns. The piece also speculates Khabib would have dominated at welterweight against fighters like Woodley, Covington, Edwards, Masvidal, and Thompson.