Islam Makhachev, the UFC champion, recently made history by earning a Taekwondo black belt.

However, the moment became more special because he earned the belt from his former childhood coach, Seifulla Magomedov.

On June 10, ESPN MMA's Instagram account shared the exact moment where Makhachev was also seen showing his strength by delivering a high kick at the gym.

The video was captioned as, “What a moment for the welterweight champ.”

The martial arts foundation of the 2025 Combat Press Male Fighter of the Year began with Taekwondo in Dagestan. At the time, the champ was only 7.

In addition to a Taekwondo Black Belt, other martial arts credentials earned by Makhachev include:

• Judo black belt
• Combat Sambo after winning the World Championship in Combat Sambo in 2016.

In 2014, he qualified for the World Championship in Japan by winning the -74 kg division at the Russian National Combat Sambo Championship. However, due to a heart condition, he was prevented from competing.

In 2016, he earned gold at the 2016 World Combat Sambo Championship by winning the -74 kg division.

The list is long, and to achieve all the credentials, Makhachev, who has a record of 28 wins and 1 loss in 29 mixed martial arts matches, trains really hard.

Islam Makhachev's training approach behind his legacy

Makhachev's fighting style is inspired by Sambo mastery. But the champ mixes this style with his clinical striking, fight IQ, and positional dominance.

All this comes from an intense workout.

His workout routine includes:

Skill and MMA training:

• Grappling session
• Intense wrestling drills
• Pad work
• Bag work
• Translation drills
• Position control training
• Striking practices
• Sparring.

Strength and conditioning:

• Deadlifts
• Kettlebell swings, cleans, snatches, and presses
• Squats
• Agility drills
• Plyometric exercises
• Heavy stone lifting
• Stability-ball exercise
• Grip-strength training
• Core-strength training.

Cardio and endurance:

• Mobility exercises
• Jogging before training
• Functional movement drills
• Light rope jump.

Recovery:

• Meditation
• Constant sleep routine
• Light walk on his rest days
• Cold water plunges.

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Written by

Supradeep Dutta

Edited by

Ashvinkumar Patil