Islam Makhachev's mother never watches his fights, says father: "She's away for an hour or two"
While Islam Makhachev is currently Dagestan's biggest star in MMA, his mother opts against tuning in to watch his fights. In fact, she has never watched a single one of his bouts, not even his title-winning performance against former lightweight kingpin Charles Oliveira.
The stunning revelation was made by the champion's father, Ramazan Makhachev, who spoke to Ushatayka. While the reason behind her decision to not watch any of Makhachev's fights wasn't disclosed, other details were, including the lengths to which Makhachev's mother goes to avoid watching his fights.
"His mother never does [watch his fights]. She even leaves the house during his fights. Whether it's night or day, she's away for an hour or two."
Check out Ramazan Makhachev talk about Islam Makhachev's mother:
It is likely that Makhachev's mother cannot bear to watch her son compete in a sport in which he can be subjected to violence, especially given how difficult some of his recent fights have been, and that he has been knocked out before as well. His UFC 302 title defense was among his most difficult bouts.
Despite dominating the first round, the 155-pound champion eventually suffered several deep cuts on his face, ate some significant strikes, and even lost a round or two, all while battling a staph infection. Thus, it is understandable if his mother is nervous about watching him fight.
Now, Makhachev will earn much-deserved rest, having equaled the lightweight division's all-time record for title defenses. Furthermore, he has now set the longest win streak in 155-pound history, staking his claim as one of the weight class' greatest ever.
Islam Makhachev and Dustin Poirier had a tense moment prior to UFC 302
Mothers appear to hold a deep level of cultural importance in Dagestan. So, when Dustin Poirier referred to Islam Makhachev as a 'motherf***er' during a face-off, the lightweight champion was incensed, having misunderstood the insult to mean something more literal that targeted his mother.
Check out Makhachev and Poirier's reconciliation:
Once Poirier understood that the word has different connotations in Dagestan, he apologized to Makhachev, asserting that he would never intentionally disrespect the latter's family.