Analysis highlights Khabib Nurmagomedov's underrated striking skills

A detailed technical analysis examines Khabib Nurmagomedov's often-overlooked boxing and mid-range striking abilities during his UFC career. The breakdown analyzes his last five fights, using a flexible scoring system to evaluate significant strikes landed at mid-range. The analysis shows Khabib won or held even on the feet in four of five contests: dominating Edson Barboza (25-11), Al Iaquinta (77-23), drawing with Dustin Poirier (6-6) and Justin Gaethje (14-12.25), and narrowly losing to Conor McGregor (16-19). The piece emphasizes that Khabib's jab was particularly effective, with opponents like Gaethje and Iaquinta suffering visible damage. The author argues that Khabib's striking, enhanced by the constant wrestling threat, allowed him to maintain pressure safely and set up his dominant grappling. The analysis concludes that Khabib's mid-range striking was essential to his success and speculates he would have dominated at welterweight against fighters like Woodley, Covington, Edwards, Masvidal, and Thompson.