The famous former Sambo competitor and Russian professional mixed martial artist Islam Makhachev or Islam Ramazanovich Makhachev (Исла́м Рамаза́нович Маха́чев) were born on October 27, 1991. As the current Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Lightweight Champion, he competes in the Lightweight division. His professional career started in 2010, and in 2016, he won the combat sambo world championship at 74 kilograms.
He competes in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is the current UFC Lightweight Champion by 2023. As a professional competitor since 2010, Makhachev was the combat sambo world champion at 74 kilograms in 2016. According to the UFC men’s pound-for-pound rankings, Islam Makhachev remains the second-best athlete, surpassed only by Alexander Volkanovski.
Personal Life of Islam Makhachev
Makhachev, a Lak by ethnicity, was born in Makhachkala. He was raised in the isolated village of Burshi, now part of the Russian Republic of Dagestan, and trained and competed in combat sambo. He took home the gold medal at the 2016 World Fight Sambo Championship. In the championship match, he defeated Bulgarian Valentin Benishev 7-0.
Mixed martial arts career.
On February 12, 2011, M-1 Global-Makhachev faced Tengiz Khuchua in his M-1 Global debut, winning by first-round KO. On April 9, 2013, Makhachev at M-1 Challenge 38, faced Mansour Barnaoui in his second match for the promotion. He was the unanimous victor (30–27, 30–27, 30–27).
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Makhachev agreed to a four-fight deal with the UFC on October 2, 2014. At UFC 187 on May 23, 2015, he submitted Leo Kuntz in the second round. At UFC 192, Makhachev took on Adriano Martins on October 3, 2015. His first defeat as a professional came in the first round when he was knocked out. At UFC on Fox 19, Makhachev was scheduled to take on Drew Dober on April 16, 2016.
Makhachev failed an out-of-competition drug test and tested positive for the illegal anti-ischemic meldonium, the UFC reported following the weigh-ins. The game was abandoned. USADA removed Makhachev’s suspension following a hearing on July 2, 2016. He squared up against Chris Wade at UFC Fight Night 94 on September 17, 2016. He prevailed by unanimous judgment in the match.
Recent Achievements of Islam Makhachev
In recent years, on April 20, 2019, Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan squared off on UFC on ESPN+ 7. He prevailed by unanimous judgment in the match. He was awarded Fight of the Night for this victory. At UFC 242, Makhachev and Davi Ramos squared off on September 7, 2019. He prevailed by unanimous judgment in the match. At UFC 249, Makhachev and Alexander Hernandez were slated to square off on April 18, 2020.
However, Omar Morales was added to the card instead of Makhachev because of COVID-19-related travel limitations. Rafael dos Anjos and Makhachev were scheduled to square off on October 24, 2020, at UFC 254. Dos Anjos was, however, disqualified from the fight after it was revealed that he had tested positive for COVID-19 on October 8, 2020.
Bobby Green was reportedly brought in to replace Dariush when he pulled out of the competition on February 12 due to an ankle ailment. He TKO’d the opponent in the opening round using ground and pound. Makhachev received the Order “For Merit to the Republic of Dagestan” for his martial arts accomplishments in November 2022. At UFC 284 on February 12, 2023, Makhachev defended his title against Alexander Volkanovski, the UFC Featherweight Champion.
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