Michael Bisping sees UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev as version 2.0 of Khabib Nurmagomedov . Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) will look to tie Nurmagomedov’s record of three lightweight title defenses when he faces Dustin Poirier (30-8 MMA, 22-7 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 302 (pay-per-view/ESPN2/ ESPN+ ) main event at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Nurmagomedov passed the torch on to his protege after retiring as undefeated lightweight champion in October 2020. Bisping thinks Makhachev is a more well rounded fighter than Nurmagomedov. “Khabib came first, and he’ll always be remembered for that, for what he did to the sport, how he represented Dagestan and implemented that style,” Bisping told TNT Sports . “It took over the sport, let’s be honest.
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Michael Bisping: Islam Makhachev ‘a new, improved version’ of Khabib Nurmagomedov – MMA Junkie