A detailed analytical post examined Khabib Nurmagomedov's often-overlooked striking ability at middle distance, arguing it was crucial to his success. The analysis included statistical breakdowns of significant strikes landed in his final five UFC fights against opponents including Barboza, Iaquinta, McGregor, Poirier, and Gaethje. According to the post, Khabib won or matched his opponents on the middle distance in four of those five fights, with particularly dominant performances against Barboza (25-11) and Iaquinta (77-23). Justin Gaethje specifically praised Khabib's jab effectiveness, noting how the threat of level changes made it dangerous. The analysis argued Khabib's striking allowed him to maintain pressure safely and set up his wrestling, suggesting without this skill he would have been more vulnerable. The post speculates Khabib would have dominated welterweight contenders and teases future analysis of a potential matchup with Kamaru Usman.
