Islam Makhachev revealed how he was close to pulling the plug on a teammate after a UFC Qatar disaster.
Tagir Ulanbekov was choked out by the returning Kyoji Horiguchi in a flyweight clash to open Saturday’s main card. Makhachev suffered his second defeat in the corner of the ring after Saygid izagakhmaev, a fellow welterweight, lost to Nicolas Dalby by split decision.
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After landing in Dagestan, the newly-crowned welterweight champ spoke to media. After his last fight, he said that Ulanbekov may have to consider moving up in weight division.
Who is Islam Makhachev? Get a glimpse of the life and times of the best fighter in the world pound-for -pound
Islam Makhachev was close to quitting UFC Qatar
While it’s standard fare to see fighters pulled out by their corners in the boxing world, you almost never see it in MMA. It’s particularly rare in the UFC where there is a split between win and show money.
Islam Makhachev may have decided against the fight at UFC Qatar, Saturday night after watching his teammate Tagir Ulanbekov get beaten. The welterweight champ claimed he had to struggle to reach the 125.5lb weight limit.
“It’s no secret that Tagir is actually older than me,”Makhachev spoke to the Russian media earlier today, as he returned with his two belts. “And I saw his entire weight cut… No one had a tougher cut than he did.
“Even on fight day, I talked to him before and after the bout, telling him he shouldn’t be leaving so much energy in the weight cut. Yesterday, Tagir only showed about 50% of his potential. He walked out there, and after the very first exchange he was already swollen and couldn’t breathe.
“Honestly, I even wanted to stop the fight. But knowing Tagir’s character — that he fights until the very end — I didn’t do it. He simply didn’t feel comfortable enough to go out there and fight. I think our team will sit down and make a decision — Tagir won’t be…
2025-11-24 03:11:05
