It is not easy being in Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s shadow and establishing yourself as Islam Makhachev. ‘The Eagle’ is arguably one of the most dominant champions the UFC has ever seen, having never even lost a round in his UFC career. Which is why many will argue that he is the greatest mixed martial artist of all time.

And Islam Makhachev seems to be on the same trajectory, albeit without the undefeated part. He has the same ruthless instincts, the same disciplined approach to training, and the same dedication to putting in the work. Makhachev’s well on his way to making his mark on June 1st, when he steps up to fight the seasoned veteran, Dustin Poirier at UFC 302. The 32-year-old was trained by Khabib’s father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov from a very young age. On that note, let us look at his early life, career, and relationship with Khabib Nurmagomedov to understand what has made him such a dominant fighter today.

Islam Makhachev’s Early Life

Makhachev grew up in the village of Burshi, where he was picked on by other kids. He started to train in combat sports, in particular, sambo from a young age. He is a childhood friend of Khabib Nurmagomedov and grew up training with the undefeated fighter under the former’s father in Dagestan. Khabib has previously said that Makhachev lived five minutes from his house.

The two have continued to train together since their childhood until ‘The Eagle’s retirement from fighting a few years ago. Even then, Khabib continued to corner him and coach Makhachev at their American Kickboxing Academy gym. Makhachev won a gold medal in the 2016 edition of the World Combat Sambo Championship 2016. He is also a four-time Russian National Champion in Sambo.

Makhachev is of the opinion that the harsh life he led in his early days helped toughen him up. “This labor, building, digging, gathering, breeding livestock, it’s all physical labor. Hard work is in our DNA. Often running up the mountains, sometimes three times a day, working out using stone. These harsh conditions create real men,” Makhachev conveyed.

Islam Makhachev’s Ethnicity, Birthplace & Ancestry

Islam Makhachev is a Russian fighter who was born on 27 October 1991 in Makhachkala in the Dagestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic in the USSR as a Soviet citizen. He became Russian after the dissolution of the USSR in 1991 as Dagestan joined the Russian Federation.

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His parents’ names are unknown. He seemingly moved to the village of Burshi in his childhood before moving back to the city of Makhachkala, where he fights as a professional fighter to this day. Islam Makhachev belongs to the Lak ethnicity, members of which speak the Laki language. And he is a devout follower of Islam.

How did Islam Makhachev meet Khabib Nurmagomedov

Islam Makhachev met Khabib Nurmagomedov in his boyhood in Dagestan. The two lived close to each other and trained together under Khabib’s father Abdulmanap. Khabib has mentioned in interviews that Makhachev has been competitive since his childhood. This is why the undefeated fighter felt that Makhachev has the potential to become world champion over even his cousin Abubakar Nurmagomedov who fights in the UFC’s welterweight division.

“He was always competitive and hated losing. Whatever martial art he competed in, he was successful. In school, I think he didn’t do bad… I had excellent marks through grade 7 then it went downhill a bit. Either way, I put effort into my education… I know he [Makhachev] wasn’t a troublemaker compared to Abubakar [Nurmagomedov]… Islam was more disciplined,” Khabib said before UFC 280, where Makhachev defeated Charles Oliveira to become the new lightweight champion.

When did Islam Makhachev start training? His record before UFC

Makhachev started to train in his childhood. The reigning lightweight champion famously lost to Adriano Martins in his second UFC outing but has not lost a fight since then and has put on a 13-fight winning streak in the promotion. As a matter of fact, the Dagestani had never lost a fight in his professional career prior to joining the UFC.

Makhachev made his professional mixed martial arts debut against Magomed Bekbolatov in August 2010 in the Tsumada Fighting Championship, which he won via unanimous decision. A few months later, in February 2011, he made his M-1 Global debut against Tengiz Khuchua and won the bout via KO in the first round. He has also fought for other promotions, such as the Professional Fighting Championships (ProFC), Lion’s Fights, and Siberian Fighting Championship.

And as he gears up to take on Dustin Poirier, it will be a pleasant sight to see the Dagestani, who has had a harsh, disciplined life, finally get the due that he deserves. With people pointing fingers at his championship status because he has only defended the title against a 145-er, UFC 302 will certainly be the proving ground for ‘The Eagle’s protégé. Can he make Poirier bite the dust next month? Drop your predictions in the comments.

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