Although Khabib only holds third place in the official pound-for-pound rating, his popularity has been skyrocketing since securing the lightweight champion belt, which he successfully defended in his iconic fight against Conor McGregor.

Ben "The Funk" Askren, a former champion in two major promotions now fighting in the UFC, has named five top wrestlers in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), putting Russian fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov at the top of the list. In the video, published on the UFC's official Twitter account, Askren explains why Khabib, in his opinion, is so effective at taking down his opponents in the octagon.

"When Khabib gets you down [on the floor], your life is going to be miserable. Khabib has more effectively implemented his wresting in mixed martial arts than anyone in the last 25 years", Askren said.

A compliment for GSP?!@BenAskren gives his 5️⃣ best wrestlers in UFC history ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/m1CWeOhxe0 — UFC (@ufc) May 14, 2019

Khabib "The Eagle" Nurmagomedov shot to fame after he won the UFC lightweight champion belt and defended it in a fight against "The Notorious" Conor McGregor last October. His next fight is scheduled for 7 September 2019, when he will face interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier.

READ MORE: Khabib Says He 'Respects' Poirier, But Will Have to 'Maul' Him in Octagon

The Russian fighter currently has a record of 27 victories without defeats and holds third place in the UFC pound-for-pound rating, with the first two places being held by heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier, whom Askren has also included in his top-5 list, and light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.