Unpopular opinion: 2015 Tony would’ve beaten Khabib.

Khabib vs. Tony is probably one of the biggest what if matches in MMA history. It was first scheduled to happen in 2015 (finale of The Ultimate Fighter Season 22), and they were scheduled to fight five times. In their first scheduled bout, I truly believe that Tony would’ve beaten Khabib. The reason being that Tony was at his career peak, and Khabib hadn’t yet reached his peak as a fighter.

Now let me explain it to you. Back in 2015, Tony’s performance against Barboza was terrifying. He constantly pressured his opponents, had ridiculous cardio, and his overall unorthodox style made it really difficult for his opponents to do anything about it. Even if he was taken down, he wouldn’t have just stayed down. He would’ve delivered brutal elbows from the bottom.

On the other hand, a 2015 Khabib wasn’t the same Khabib we saw later, who absolutely wrecked guys like McGregor, Poirier, and Gaethje. His striking was still rudimentary, relying more on physicality and forward pressure rather than clean technique. He wasn’t as precise or composed on the feet, as seen in his fight with RDA. Khabib also depended heavily on cage-based takedowns, which would have been harder against someone like Tony. Tony fought really well in scrambles and wasn’t afraid to fight off his back. If Tony could have kept the fight in the center of the octagon and avoided being pinned against the fence, he had a legitimate chance to cause problems.

If you take a look at Khabib’s fight with Al Iaquinta, you’ll understand what I mean. While Khabib dominated the fight, Iaquinta was able to stuff some takedowns later in the bout and even land clean shots in striking exchanges. Even Islam has the same issue; his takedowns only work if he can get you to the cage. In his fight with Poirier, Poirier was able to defend a lot of takedowns in the open. GSP explained this really well when he was asked about a potential matchup between him and Khabib. If Iaquinta could find moments of success, imagine what a prime Tony Ferguson, with his relentless pressure and unorthodox striking, could have done.But, I also believe that if this fight happened at a later time then Khabib would’ve beaten him as he was evolving really quickly after their first scheduled bout.

Khabib vs. Tony is probably one of the biggest what if matches in MMA history. It was first scheduled to happen in 2015 (finale of The Ultimate Fighter Season 22), and they were scheduled to fight five times. In their first scheduled bout, I truly believe that Tony would’ve beaten Khabib. The reason being that Tony was at his career peak, and Khabib hadn’t yet reached his peak as a fighter.

Now let me explain it to you. Back in 2015, Tony’s performance against Barboza was terrifying. He constantly pressured his opponents, had ridiculous cardio, and his overall unorthodox style made it really difficult for his opponents to do anything about it. Even if he was taken down, he wouldn’t have just stayed down. He would’ve delivered brutal elbows from the bottom.

On the other hand, a 2015 Khabib wasn’t the same Khabib we saw later, who absolutely wrecked guys like McGregor, Poirier, and Gaethje. His striking was still rudimentary, relying more on physicality and forward pressure rather than clean technique. He wasn’t as precise or composed on the feet, as seen in his fight with RDA. Khabib also depended heavily on cage-based takedowns, which would have been harder against someone like Tony. Tony fought really well in scrambles and wasn’t afraid to fight off his back. If Tony could have kept the fight in the center of the octagon and avoided being pinned against the fence, he had a legitimate chance to cause problems.

If you take a look at Khabib’s fight with Al Iaquinta, you’ll understand what I mean. While Khabib dominated the fight, Iaquinta was able to stuff some takedowns later in the bout and even land clean shots in striking exchanges. Even Islam has the same issue; his takedowns only work if he can get you to the cage. In his fight with Poirier, Poirier was able to defend a lot of takedowns in the open. GSP explained this really well when he was asked about a potential matchup between him and Khabib. If Iaquinta could find moments of success, imagine what a prime Tony Ferguson, with his relentless pressure and unorthodox striking, could have done.But, I also believe that if this fight happened at a later time then Khabib would’ve beaten him as he was evolving really quickly after their first scheduled bout.