Brazil, the United States, Japan, and Russia. What is common among these four countries? The fighters they produce, of course. While the US and Brazil largely dominated mixed martial arts (and introduced it to the world), Russia has been the country producing champions and world-beaters off late. Of course, Russians have perennially been in the scene, with their greatest exports being ‘The Last Emperor’ Fedor Emelianenko, ‘The Eagle’ Khabib Nurmagomedov, and current lightweight champion Islam Makhachev.

But who is the absolute greatest mixed martial artist of all time from Russia? Well, to get to that, we need to take a look at the legacy that the three Russians have left in the sport of MMA. So without any further ado, let’s get right into it and find out who deserves the top spot in the Russian MMA leaderboard.

Comparing Khabib, Fedor, and Islam Makhachev’s legacy

Let’s talk about Fedor Emelianenko first. He had a professional MMA record of 40 wins, 7 defeats, and 1 no-contest (14 KOs and 17 submissions). ‘The Last Emperor’ was undefeated for a span of 10 years, starting from 2001 till 2010. He was one of the most well-rounded fighters that the fighting community had ever seen. With elite skills in Sambo, he had superior striking and submission techniques than most of his peers.

Even legendary fighters like Mirko Cro Cop, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mark Hunt, and Andrei Arlovski, were unable to defeat ‘The Last Emperor’. His 26-fight win streak was broken when he fought Fabricio Werdum at Strikeforce. And in the end, the former Pride heavyweight champion retired with a loss at Bellator 290. Despite losing three of his last seven via knockout, he still managed to knock out four of the other opponents, all within the first round. No wonder he was considered the greatest heavyweight of all time even though he never really fought in the UFC.

Khabib Nurmagomedov, on the other hand, has remained undefeated throughout his MMA career. With 29-0 shining on his records, ‘The Eagle’ is known for putting Dagestan on the maps for every single fight fan. He reigned the UFC lightweight championship throne from 2018 to 2021 and retired with 3 consecutive title defenses to his name.

Nurmagomedov dominated his opponents with his grappling and control. The pressure he exerted on his opponents got him into the discussions for the most dominant fighter ever. As a champion, he conquered the Octagon against Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje, pretty easily. However, he retired pretty early at the age of 32. This left him with fewer title defenses as compared to the other MMA greats.

Islam Makhachev is indeed the successor of ‘The Eagle’ and currently boasts a record of 27-1. He is the current UFC lightweight champion and has already broken Nurmagomedov’s record with four consecutive and successful title defenses. Unlike his predecessor, Makhachev also has an improved striking prowess, apart from elite grappling in his arsenal. With that, he has defeated former champions like Charles Oliveria, and Alexander Volkanovski. Now, he’s looking up to moving to either the middleweight or welterweight division to become a double champion.

But we need to select one from three of the greatest Russian fighters of all time. Each fighter, Emelianenko, Nurmagomedov, and Makhachev, has brought a unique style to the fighting realm. Their legacies have inspired the new generation of fighters to strive hard for victory. But who can be crowned the absolute greatest among them?

Who is the greatest Russian fighter?

If we have to name just one fighter from Russia, it’ll be none other than Khabib Nurmagomedov. And there are many reasons for that. First, it’s his undefeated career. Even though Makhachev has more title defenses, he was still knocked out once in his career. And ‘The Last Emperor’ had a total of 7 defeats. Nurmagomedov, with guidance from his late father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, dominated the Octagon and defeated fighters people consider the elites of the sport.

On top of that, he hasn’t really taken any significant damage or barely lost a single round in his career. Needless to say, Nurmagomedov was one of the fighters who revolutionized the grappling game in the realm of mixed martial arts. He inspired, trained, and brought in a new generation of grappling-heavy fighters like Makhachev, Umar Nurmagomedov, and others into the fighting realm. Of course, ‘The Last Emperor’ had a legendary career with over 40 bouts. But it’s Nurmagomedov’s dominance, perfect record, and UFC legacy that made him sit on the throne of the greatest Russian fighter of all time.

Who is the greatest Russian MMA fighter according to you? Is there someone who you think should be on the list? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.