Islam Makhachev hails wrestler Mijain Lopez with one-word reaction after latter signs off with five straight gold medals at Olympics

UFC lightweight champ Islam Makhachev is one of the many sporting personalities celebrating the marvelous career of Olympic legend Mijain Lopez as he retires at the Paris Olympics this year. The 41-year-old Cuban Greco-Roman wrestler out-scored all his opponents 20-2 in the men's 130kg weight class. This gave him his record-setting fifth consecutive gold medal in a single event across five straight Olympics (2008-2024).

Largely considered by many as the greatest wrestler of all time, Lopez removed his shoes and left them on the mats after his gold medal win over Chile's Yasmani Acosta. This symbolic gesture signifies Lopez's retirement from the sport.

@mma_tm posted an iconic photo of the moment on Instagram:

Islam Makhachev is one of many who consider Lopez the greatest ever to lace up wrestling shoes, posting the photo on his Instagram stories with the copy. The UFC lightweight champion wrote:

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"G.O.A.T"

Islam Makhachev's Instagram story. [Image credit: @islam_makhachev on Instagram]

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Islam Makhachev slams "disgusting" Paris Olympics opening ceremony

Although he was ecstatic about the wrestling events of the Paris Games, Islam Makhachev admits he's not very happy with this year's opening ceremony. The opening show, a parody of the "Feast of the Gods" painting by Giovanni Bellini, garnered huge controversy for its mistaken biblical imagery and misconstrued body image messages.

In an interview with YouTube channel Ushatayka, the UFC lightweight king didn't mince his words when expressing his feelings on the subject, saying (translated from Russian):

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"To be honest, I watched some highlights of the Olympics opening ceremony. It was disgusting. This is disrespect for all religions, for all human values, in general. Honestly, I even planned to go to the Olympics, but after what I saw, I don't want to go there."

When asked if his home country of Russia can host future Olympic games, Makhachev said:

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"Firstly, Russia knows how to do it properly, cherishes human values, and respects athletes and sports. And what happened at the opening ceremony, I don't think it has anything to do with sports."

Here's a clip of the conversation as posted by Championship Rounds on X:

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