Georges St-Pierre once iterated the role of time in how athletes improve in the MMA world. Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov fall under the same chain of evolution. But what is that one advantage that the current lightweight king holds over ‘The Eagle’? Their striking you say? Well, this argument holds a lot of weight as a recent training clip bolsters this very sentiment. 

In the video reuploaded on Instagram by Championship Rounds, via Gadzhi Rabadanov, Makhachev was seen throwing a side-kick to a trainer holding up a kicking mitt. The lightweight champion’s kick sent the person holding the mitt flying back, almost colliding with the gym equipment behind him. Although visibly amused in the video, Makhachev seemed like he didn’t intend the man to go flying because of the kick. He later shared the video to his Instagram stories with the caption – “Sorry bro”.

Before finishing Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 294, nobody thought Makhachev was deadly with these kicks. Prior to UFC 294, the Dagestani phenom had two KO finishes in the UFC, but those happened via punches. However, his recent outings have reiterated his status as an all-rounder in the MMA landscape. Let’s see what fans had to say about his kicking power and the ‘accidental kick’ in the video.

“Kicked him into outer space” – Fans react to Islam Makhachev’s ‘accidental’ kick

The video of Islam Makhachev kicking the fan garnered several hilarious reactions from fans.  One fan expressed his appreciation for the lightweight champion with just one word – “Champ”.  Another fan invoked the featherweight champ Ilia Topuria, with a comment suggesting Makhachev would be light work for him. With Topuria’s dominance at featherweight and a successful lightweight stint, it raises the question of whether Topuria can topple Makhachev. Taking the 145-lbs champ’s side, the fan wrote, “Ilia Topuria will eat him [at] 155 [pounds] bro”. 

One user said the exact opposite and claimed that Makhachev would make easy work of Ilia Topuria. Not taking the featherweight champ’s name, the fan wrote, “Islam eats that Spanish guy”. The user is referring to ‘El Matador’, as he’s the most prominent fighter from Spain on the UFC’s current roster.

With the window for peak performance in MMA being short, one user reminded us to appreciate the lightweight champion while he’s still fighting. Here’s what the user wrote, “Good to see the P4P king finally back in training. People need to appreciate this guy more while he’s here, there won’t be a more skilled fighter than him for a long time after he retires.”

Makhachev and the Dagestani camp are notorious for their grueling training methods, with these fighters reaching the pinnacle of excellence in their respective organizations; Khabib Nurmagomedov, Islam Makhachev, and Usman Nurmagomedov to name a few. Invoking this sentiment, a user commented on Makhachev, “The guy is a beast.” Reacting to the kick itself, one user had a hilarious take – “Kicked him into outer space”, while another user recalled the UFC 294 moment that shocked the world – “That’s the same leg that caused a blackhole on Volk’s head? Seems to have huge power in his leg.” 

With Islam Makhachev’s next slated opponent to be Arman Tsarukyan, what are the odds that we may see another highlight reel kick from the champ? Let us know in the comments below.