Merab Dvalishvili has recorded higher numbers than Khabib Nurmagomedov in one specific area.
In his fantastic career, ‘The Eagle’ cemented his status as one of the greatest of all time, utilizing his phenomenal grappling skills to dominate his opponents.
He wasn’t bad at trash-talking either, with Khabib making a brutal comment to Dustin Poirier during their fight.
However, Dvalishvili may have the bragging rights over him, or at least that’s what the UFC bantamweight champion’s fans think.
WOW: Daniel Cormier angrily confronted Khabib Nurmagomedov after UFC legend embarrassed him
Merab Dvalishvili has shot for more takedowns than Khabib Nurmagomedov
Since his arrival in the UFC, Merab Dvalishvili has made a massive splash, destroying his rivals with his unrelenting work rate.
In a post uploaded to Twitter by VelutaMMA, the Georgian has apparently shot for 121 takedowns, which is seven more than Khabib Nurmagomedov, who attempted 114.
This has sent both sets of supporters into overdrive, with the opposing fan bases taking to the comment section to argue over who the better grappler is.
One Dvalishvili enthusiast argued: “He’s way better at takedowns than Khabib ever was,” while another added: “He’s a different animal, his gas tank is from out of this world. In his fight vs Umar Nurmagomedov, by the fifth round, he didn’t even look remotely tired despite actively going for takedowns for five rounds.”
However, supporters of ‘The Eagle’ believe this statistic merely paints the picture that their hero was much more effective.
A Nurmagomedov fan wrote: “Khabib needed less because he finished more,” while a second exclaimed: “That’s because Khabib’s opponents rarely get up.” A third stated: “And Dvalishvili’s done nothing with them, Khabib mauled his opponents, choked them out. Merab is just a man with a crazy gas tank.”
UFC legend says Georges St-Pierre would’ve beaten Khabib Nurmagomedov
Regardless of who’s right in the argument, both Dvalisvhili and Nurmagomedov are incredible grapplers, with ‘The Machine’ carving out a legacy akin to the great Russian’s.
However, as good as the former UFC lightweight champion is, one MMA icon has his reservations about whether he could’ve beaten Georges-St-Pierre.
The fighter in question, who’s trained with ‘Rush’, is adamant he knows how that clash would’ve gone.
The former world title challenger explained why St-Pierre would’ve beaten Nurmagomedov.