Islam Makhachev reveals that his mother wants him to retire soon

22 February 2023

Islam Makhachev became the UFC Lightweight champion recently and also secured his first title defence. There have been a lot of comparisons between Islam and Khabib over the years and now, there is one more similarity that is poking up.

As per Islam, his mother wants him to wrap up his MMA career just like how Khabib retired from MMA following the wish of his mother.

Due to a commitment made to his family, specifically his mother, who wanted him to retire after the demise of his father and longtime mentor, Abdulmanap, Nurmagomedov's remarkable 29-0 career was cut short. After defeating Justin Gaethje in October 2020, "The Eagle" did exactly that, and Makhachev has disclosed that his own mother is in a similar situation as Nurmagomedov's.

“My mother doesn’t watch fights. Not just my fights, fights in general. She doesn’t like seeing people hit each other. When I came home [after winning the title], there were a lot of people there. She said, ‘You’re champion now. Wrap it up. Khabib listened to his mother, when will you listen to yours?,” Makhachev noted to UFC Russia.

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At UFC 284 in Perth, Australia, Makhachev recently achieved his first successful defence when he won by unanimous decision over featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski. Fans should anticipate Makhachev to make at least a few more title defences, though it is unclear if he will make any promises like Nurmagomedov did to his mother.

“I told her Khabib defended his title and I need to do the same. It’s a hard topic for my mother. My father’s the opposite. He watches all the fights,” Islam added.

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What do you think about the possibility of Islam Makhachev retiring? Let us know in the comments below.