Islam Makhachev grew up watching and playing soccer and even after all these years, is just as competitive when he plays with his teammates. So much so, they now want English soccer club Manchester United to sign the UFC lightweight champion.
It is a tradition to play football matches against each other in Team Khabib, as well as the AKA gym, something Islam is way too familiar with… from his time losing to Khabib Nurmagomedov all the time.
The champ is currently enjoying his time off from fighting as he recovers from a hand injury. This means more time for him to play soccer and get better at it.
It’s weird when your 155 lbs friend, who is now about 210 lbs and retired is still better than you at a sport. But a lot of amateur soccer is just about confidence and what better way to feel confident than beat a bunch of school kids?
Thankfully, Islam agrees. Unfortunately, others watched it, recorded it, and posted it on social media. One of his teammates, PFL fighter Ibragim Ibrahomov even tagged English soccer club Manchester United and asked the club to sign the Dagestani champ.
The North Western English club is going through some tough times right now and honestly, could use Islam with derby games with Liverpool and Manchester City approaching on the horizon.
But Islam would like to continue playing soccer with kids and practicing mixed martial arts for a living.
Islam sends teammate flying
Islam Makhachev trained alongside Taekwondo world champion, Seifulla Magomedov. Given how much he has been wanting to improve his striking, it was only a matter of time before he started working on it at a foundational level and not just as a complimentary side dish to his world-class grappling.
The lightweight champion already outboxed one of the best boxers in the UFC when he took on Dustin Poirier and outstruck him at UFC 302. So, now, it’s time for some of those nasty kicks.
When Magomedov asked him to, the champ unleashed a strong sidekick that saw him flying back much to the entertainment of the entire gym. While it can’t be ascertained if this was planned but Islam’s history with pranks is well documented.
There are entire compilation videos of the champ pranking his teammates and friends. From throwing them around in the snow to posing as housekeeping at a hotel, he likes having a good time at the expense of his friends.
Just take a look at any video of him talking to UFC veteran Daniel Cormier!