A comprehensive analysis of Khabib Nurmagomedov's final five UFC fights reveals his underrated striking ability, particularly his jab and medium-range boxing. According to detailed scoring, Khabib won or drew the striking exchanges in four of five matchups: defeating Edson Barboza 25-11, dominating Al Iaquinta 77-23, going even 16-19 with Conor McGregor despite a knockdown, tying Dustin Poirier 6-6, and edging Justin Gaethje 14-12.25. Justin Gaethje specifically praised Khabib's jab effectiveness, noting it was enhanced by constant level-change threats that forced opponents to pull their hips back. The analysis notes that Khabib bloodied Gaethje's nose with jabs by the second round and consistently used his striking to set up takedowns against the cage. The piece argues that without solid striking skills, Khabib would have struggled to implement his dominant wrestling game, comparing him favorably to other wrestling-heavy fighters who were knocked out. The author concludes Khabib would have dominated the welterweight division against fighters like Woodley, Covington, Edwards, Masvidal, and Thompson, with only Usman presenting a question mark.
A detailed statistical breakdown of Khabib Nurmagomedov's final five UFC bouts is making the rounds, and its central argument challenges one of the sport's most persistent narratives: that the undefeated lightweight champion succeeded purely on the strength of his wrestling.
Khabib, who retired with a perfect 29-0 record, is widely remembered for his suffocating grappling game, averaging an extraordinary 5.32 takedowns per fifteen minutes across his career. The Russian fighter out of Fightspirit Team stood five-foot-ten with a 70-inch reach and posted a striking accuracy of 48 percent — a figure the new analysis suggests deserves far more credit than it typically receives.
The scoring breakdown covers five fights and paints a picture of a striker who consistently held his own. Khabib is credited with defeating Edson Barboza 25-11 in exchanges and overwhelming Al Iaquinta 77-23. Iaquinta, a 14-7-1 veteran who connected on just 40 percent of his significant strikes across his career, was unable to keep pace on the feet. Against Conor McGregor, Khabib nearly split the striking even at 16-19 despite absorbing a knockdown. He tied Dustin Poirier — a 30-10 southpaw who lands 5.24 significant strikes per minute and carries a 50 percent accuracy rate — at 6-6, and edged Justin Gaethje 14-12.25 in a fight where he reportedly bloodied Gaethje's nose with jabs before the second round had ended.
Gaethje himself is cited in the analysis as acknowledging the effectiveness of Khabib's jab, noting that constant level-change threats forced opponents to pull their hips back, opening them up to exactly the striking Khabib wanted to land.
Why it matters
- The analysis reframes Khabib's striking as a deliberate tool for setting up cage takedowns, not a secondary skill
- Career comparisons to other wrestling-heavy fighters who were knocked out strengthen the argument that his boxing provided essential protection
- The piece extends the argument to welterweight, suggesting Khabib would have been competitive against fighters across that division, with only one opponent listed as a genuine question mark
