Mixed Martial Art is taking the sporting world by storm. And Muslim MMA fighters have already made their mark in this game.
It started with Khabib ‘the eagle’ Nurmagomedov, the Russian former professional mixed martial artist. He competed in the lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, where he was the longest-reigning unbeaten UFC Lightweight Champion, having held the title from April 2018 to March 2021.
Now Khabib is training his apprentice Islam Ramazanovich Makhachev. Makhachev is a Russian professional mixed martial artist and former Sambo competitor who currently competes in the lightweight division of the UFC. Makhachev was the combat sambo world champion at 74 kilograms in 2016. As of February 28, 2022, he is #3 in the UFC lightweight rankings. He has lost only one of the 23 fights so far. Ten of them he won by submission, four by knockout, and eight by decision.
Makhachev was born in Makhachkala and grew up in the remote village of Burshi, now part of the Republic of Dagestan, Russia, where he trained and competed in combat sambo.
In the 2016 World Combat Sambo Championship, he won a gold medal. In the final match, he won 7–0 over Valentin Benishev of Bulgaria.
On October 2, 2014, Makhachev signed a four-fight contract with the UFC. He submitted Leo Kuntz in the second round on May 23, 2015, at UFC 187. He then faced Adriano Martins on October 3, 2015 at UFC 192. He lost via knockout in the first round, marking his first professional loss. Since retiring in late 2020, Khabib Nurmagomedov actively coaches and corners Makhachev for all his fights.
Coach Khabib thinks Islam Makhachev is on a different level right now. “His amateur career, his professional career, his MMA career, his age..they all matter.. Islam Makhachev (fights) on a different level,” Khabib said during an interview early this year.
Makhachev, who is a childhood friend and a lifelong training partner of Khabib, is tipped by many to become a champion himself in the future. Last year, in an episode of Weighing in Podcast, Makhachev and Khabib’s training partner Josh Thomson weighed in on Makhachev’s incredible physical strength. In Thomson’s eyes, Makhachev has the edge over Khabib from a strength standpoint.
