“English is important if you want to make money. You have to speak some language everybody understands.”

Russian professional mixed martial artist, born 1991

Islam Makhachev is a Russian professional mixed martial artist and former sambo competitor. Born in 1991, he has competed in mixed martial arts since 2010 and became a major figure in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, where he is the current welterweight champion and a former lightweight champion. He signed with the UFC in October 2014 and made his debut in May 2015. In February 2023, after defeating featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, he moved to the top of the UFC men’s pound-for-pound rankings, a position he retained after UFC 322.