Islam
Makhachev had to go through all kinds of trials and
tribulations to become the
Ultimate Fighting Championship’s No. 1 pound-for-pound
fighter.
Advertisement
Makhachev (25-1) hails from Makhachkala, Dagestan, a region where
the most common dream for kids now is to become a UFC champion. The
area has also been successfully churning out a plethora of
highly-skilled fighters who have established themselves in every
major mixed martial arts promotion in the world.
However, while combat sports have always been a part of Dagestani
culture, the hype behind them only peaked with the crowning of
Makhachev’s teammate Khabib
Nurmagomedov as UFC champion in 2018. The Eagle’s father,
Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, considered a pioneer of the sport in the
Russian territory, is credited for the massive growth of MMA in the
region by crafting champions like his son and Makhachev.
Abdulmanap managed to produce world-class athletes under harsh
conditions in the mountains of Dagestan, often without the best
training facilities. Makhachev recently shared his early career
struggles while training under the tutelage of Nurmagomedov. The
UFC lightweight champ revealed that he once used to share a
mouthpiece during competitions, sometimes with as many as 10 of his
teammates. While they would clean the mouthpiece with hot water, it
wasn’t as much for sanitization as to slightly change its shape to
fit the next fighter.
“Before we don’t have a mouthpiece,” Makhachev said in a recent
appearance on “The Weighing In” Podcast. “We go to some
competition, and we can use one mouthpiece. I swear to God, I
remember, one competition we have one mouthpiece for like 10
people. In the rules, you cannot go inside the fight without the
mouthpiece. We clean with hot water and everybody [use]… We put hot
water because it’s [the shape] different you know, change it a
little bit.”
p.m. ET on ESPN+
Khabib retired from the sport as the UFC lightweight champ with an
undefeated 29-0 record following the death of his father in 2020.
Sticking to Nurmagomedov’s father’s game plan, Makhachev took over
the reins by dethroning Charles
Oliveira in 2022. Makhachev has since defended his strap twice
against former featherweight champ Alexander
Volkanovski. Makhachev is now slated to defend his title
against Dustin
Poirier (30-8) in the main event at
UFC 302 on June 1 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.