“I check who has real black belt… Sambo [is the] best, I told you guys. Sambo working very well for the jiu-jitsu. Sorry guys but it’s true… But some people are going to be upset with me and send me bad comments, sorry, I just say the truth,” declared Islam Makhachev after submitting Renato Moicano at UFC 311 this past January. His bold claim—asserting the superiority of Russian martial arts over Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Sambo, a hybrid discipline combining judo, wrestling, and other grappling styles, has long been the cornerstone of Islam Makhachev’s approach. His comments sent ripples through the MMA community, once again sparking a debate that surfaces every few years. Earlier this month, former UFC contender Kevin Lee, who boasts 9 submission victories in his MMA career, fired back at Makhachev’s claims ahead of his upcoming clash with Team Khabib’s rising prospect, Gadzhi.
Lee remained steadfast in his belief in American wrestling, calling it the kryptonite to the dominance of Russian Sambo fighters like Islam Makhachev. To support his claim, he pointed to his 2016 win in Ireland over Russian standout Magomed Mustafaev. Once again, he called out the Dagestani standout to settle the score inside the Octagon—but as expected, Makhachev showed no sign of concern.
Not stopping there, Islam Makhachev added more fuel to the fire by taking a fresh dig at Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu—this time while promoting Dana White’s newest project, the UFC BJJ reality series, UFC BJJ 1. In a clip shared by ‘Home of Fight’, Makhachev casually dropped another jab, “Hey guys, watch UFC BJJ, but.. Sambo is better.”
They chose Islam Makhachev to promote UFC BJJ:
“Hey guys, watch UFC BJJ, but.. Sambo is better.”
@ufcbjj pic.twitter.com/GD4S3ETwwF
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) June 27, 2025
Just three days ago, on June 25, Dana White’s $10 million BJJ event made its debut, headlined by a thrilling showdown between five-time world champion Mikey Musumeci and Rerisson Gabriel. ‘Darth Rigatoni’ submitted the Brazilian standout to become the inaugural UFC BJJ Bantamweight Champion.
The event also served as the official launch of UFC BJJ: Road to the Title—a new reality TV series inspired by The Ultimate Fighter, chronicling the journeys of elite BJJ athletes in pursuit of UFC gold.
Mikey Musumeci challenges Islam Makhachev’s coach, Khabib Nurmagomedov
“If Sambo was easy, it would be called Jiu-Jitsu,” famously declared UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2022. He made the bold claim while promoting the blockbuster UFC 280 showdown between Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev. That night, the lightweight champion went on to submit Oliveira and claim the vacant lightweight belt.
Khabib Nurmagomedov’s confident endorsement of Sambo over Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) didn’t sit well with many in the grappling community. Among the most vocal critics was BJJ world champion Mikey Musumeci, who openly objected to ‘The Eagle’s comments and challenged Sambo practitioners to test themselves under Jiu-Jitsu rules. His challenge, however, was met with silence from Khabib’s camp.
Earlier this year, ahead of his UFC BJJ debut, Mikey Musumeci’s 2022 statement targeting Khabib Nurmagomedov resurfaced, reigniting the debate. In the clip, ‘Darth Rigatoni’ declared,
“Khabib said a very famous phrase once: ‘If Sambo was easy, it would be called Jiu-jitsu.’ Alright then, let’s let the Sambo athletes face the Jiu-jitsu athletes. I, personally, offer to face the best Sambo fighter currently in ‘Jiu-jitsu Grappling’ mode and we’ll find out who is the best in that format. One round Jiu-jitsu and one round Sambo rules, then MMA?”
For years, the rivalry between Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, wrestling, and Sambo has sparked fierce debate. And for much of that time, Sambo appeared to reign supreme—bolstered by dominant performances from Dagestani fighters like Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev, who dismantled top-tier opponents such as Charles Oliveira and Dustin Poirier.
But that dominance may be slipping. A new challenger is rising in the form of Georgian wrestling. At UFC 311, Merab Dvalishvili delivered a statement performance by neutralizing Umar Nurmagomedov—potentially signaling a shift in the balance of power in MMA’s ongoing stylistic showdown.
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