We all know that Arman Tsarukyan and Islam Makhachev are going to have an iconic rematch at UFC 311 with Khabib Nurmagomedov cornering the lightweight champion. This is currently one of the biggest fights that fans can witness in any division. But imagine a reality where Khabib and his protege are pitted against each other. How would that play out?

In our world, this won’t happen but it’s interesting to speculate the outcome of that fight. Keeping that in mind, let’s take a look at what Team Tsarukyan had to say about this fantasy matchup between mentor and pupil.

Arman Tsarukyan’s coach selects his favorite between Khabib and Makhachev

As ‘Ahalkalakets’ and Makhachev get ready to fight at UFC 311, their teams and coaches are giving interviews about their training ahead of the fight. In one such similar interview with Ushatayka, Tsarukyan’s striking coach, Roma Kalantaryan, spoke about his choice between Makhachev and Khabib when it came to a fight.

He complimented Khabib’s incredible combat arsenal but still chose the mentee as his favorite overall. He said, “ Islam, well, to tell the truth. I really love Khabib, you know he is a legend. But I say clearly I think Islam has a much better stance than Khabib has. He is much better [in striking] than [Khabib]. In the wrestling topic, I don’t think Islam is as good as. Well [he is] very good, of course, like Khabib but right in the [overall] stance, I think Islam is much better.”

So when it comes to wrestling, he picked ‘The Eagle’ all the way but in the overall fighting stance, his choice was Makhachev. Guess what? Kalantaryan’s pupil Tsarukyan thought otherwise. “Khabib, for me, is a different level fighter,” Tsarukyan said on  The Ariel Helwani Show, classifying Nurmagomedov’s level above that of Makhachev. “Not just like a fighter, like a man, you know?”

In his short-notice UFC debut in 2019, the Armenian put up a brave effort assuming his knowledge at the time but lost via decision to Islam Makhachev. Since then, Tsarukyan has emerged as a 155-lb monster, while Makhachev climbed the ladder, acquiring legend status as the P4P #1 fighter.

‘Ahalkalakets’ revealed that when he was young he used to watch all of Khabib’s fights and he considers the Hall of Famer as the GOAT. Pretty bold claims from both the coach and fighter from team Tsarukyan. In the fantasy matchup between Khabib and Islam spurting what-ifs, we asked AI as who would win that bout, and the results didn’t disappoint.

AI chose the winner between Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Islam Makhachev

Well AI said that Khabib would win this battle even though his protégé is far from an easy contender. Makhachev’s swift striking and defensive skills combined with his wrestling are top-notch. But at the end of the day, the master is called the master for a reason. Just like us, even AI acknowledges Khabib’s advantage in this theoretical bout, given his experience. While Makhachev might get good scores for round 1 or 2 with his striking prowess, the tables would turn once round 3 arrives.

Khabib’s relentless pressure and fight IQ on the ground would be the tipping points in the game. Nurmagomedov’s cardio is something to behold and this relentlessness would eventually exhaust Makhachev’s tank. The AI predicts that Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s ability to control the fight would earn a unanimous decision win.

But let’s come back to the real world where Makhachev is facing Tsarukyan who he has defeated before. But the Armenian has improved exponentially since then and is riding high on a three-fight winning streak against Joaquim Silva, Beneil Dariush, and Charles Oliveira.  So will Makahchev clinch this win and surpass his mentor at UFC 311? Or will Tsarukyan forge a new legacy, and once again change the trajectory of the lightweight division? Share your thoughts in the comments below.