Khabib’s protégée Islam Makhachev receives hero’s welcome in Dagestan

After being crowned lightweight champion at UFC 280 last week, Islam Makhachev returned home to a hero’s welcome in his native Dagestan. Footage showed…

By: Karim Zidan | 7 months ago
Khabib’s protégée Islam Makhachev receives hero’s welcome in Dagestan
Bloody Elbow 2.0 | Anton Tabuena

After being crowned lightweight champion at UFC 280 last week, Islam Makhachev returned home to a hero’s welcome in his native Dagestan.

Footage showed Makhachev arriving at the airport terminal, where he was greeted by Sergey Melikov, the Russian politician who serves as the Head of the Republic of Dagestan. The fighter also met with the regional Minister of Sports Saida Zahidova.

Following a photo-op with the politicians, the UFC champion was eventually led outside where a throng of supporters celebrated his return.

“I’d like to thank everybody who came here to greet and support me,” Makhachev said as he addressed the crowd. “Later, we will eat together. There, we can talk and take pictures.”

Speaking to the media at a dinner banquet in his honor, Makhachev revealed that he plans to take a few weeks of to rest following a grueling training camp. He also confirmed that he plans to face UFC featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284 in Perth, Australia, with the intention of becoming the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

“I think my goal right now is to be the best fighter in the world,” Makhachev said.

Makhachev’s victory comes less than a month after thousands of demonstrators gathered across Dagestan to protest the “partial mobilization” for Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Videos showed demonstrators confronting law enforcement and brawling with officials. In one video, a security officer can be seen fleeing from a group of protesters as they attempt to trip him up. More than 120 demonstrators were arrested Sunday.

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About the author
Karim Zidan
Karim Zidan

Karim Zidan is a investigative reporter and feature writer focusing on the intersection of sports and politics. He has written for BloodyElbow since 2014 and has served as an associate editor since 2016. He also writes for The New York Times and The Guardian. Karim has been invited to speak about his work at numerous universities, including Princeton, and was a panelist at the South by Southwest (SXSW) film festival and the Oslo Freedom Forum. He also participated in the United Nations counter-terrorism conference in 2021. His reporting on Ramzan Kadyrov’s involvement in MMA, much of which was done for Bloody Elbow, has led to numerous award nominations, and was the basis of an award-winning HBO Real Sports documentary.

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