“It was my dream.” Makhachev’s most painful defeat was not in the UFC.
Sergey Sorokin May 28, 2024, 16:00 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
To achieve its goal, Islam had to deceive the Dana White league.
On the night of June 1-2, the Prudential Center sports complex in Newark (USA) will host the grandiose UFC 302 numerical tournament. Russian champion Islam Makhachev and American Dustin Poirier will compete in the main event of the evening.
It is worth noting that our compatriot had a glorious amateur career before entering the UFC. And we achieved very serious success in combat sambo. True, at first life gave the Russian a serious test of strength. But in the end his perseverance helped him achieve his goal.
We talk about the main events of the tournament:
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UFC 302: Will Mahachev overcome Khabib? The Russian has already decided how Poirier will win. LIVE
In 2009, Makhachev won the Russian Combat Sambo Championship. This allowed me to qualify for the national team and go to the World Championship. But the tournament turned out to be the most disappointing failure in Islam’s amateur career. In the first round he lost to the future champion, Vyacheslav Vasilenko. And while the guys from Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov’s team took the gold medals and Khabib brilliantly crushed his opponents, Makhachev watched this from the stands.
Islam Makhachev
UFC Lightweight Champion
“A growing organism. He was between 18 and 19 years old. A growing body, the weight began to increase. I had to drive a lot. And then we didn’t really know how to do it. It was very difficult. One of the hardest weight lifts of my life. I took this defeat very hard. It was a dream to win the World Combat Sambo Championship. I thought that, in any case, I needed to continue working more. “The goal was to win the World Cup.”
The Russian’s next attempt was supposed to take place in 2014. But it was then that Islam’s heart problems were revealed, which prevented him from competing at the World Championships. It seemed that the dream was quickly dissolving into thin air and would not be fulfilled. But in 2016, Makhachev did everything possible to achieve his goal.
Islam came to Bulgaria for the World Championship and performed triumphantly. The Russian was so loaded that his opponents did not receive a single point in fights with him. The final was also brilliant, in which they managed to defeat Valentin Benishev 7-0. The rival performed in his homeland and received the unconditional support of the stands. But Makhachev could no longer be stopped. And later it turned out that Islam used a trick.
At that time, Makhachev had a valid contract with the UFC. But he came to the world combat sambo championship secretly from Dana White’s league and his leadership. The Russian’s desire to win the coveted gold medal was burning. As a result, Islam even had to use a trick. And just hours after winning the tournament, Islam already flew to New York for the fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Michael Johnson. Furthermore, Makhachev even seconded Orel.
Khabib Nurmagomedov’s team
Photo: Mike Roach/Getty Images
It is curious that Islam has apparently not been punished for its cunning. And this is surprising, because the UFC has exclusive contracts. The promotion made sure that its wrestlers competed exclusively in the league and could not accept offers from others. But Makhachev decided to violate the conditions. It is worth noting that a little later, at the presentation of the Eagles MMA team, Islam was asked about an exclusive contract. And the Russian directly stated that the team simply did not clarify anything with the promotion. They just went to a tournament in Bulgaria.
