Despite being one of the most dangerous fighters in the world outside the UFC Octagon, Islam Makahchev lives a quiet life on his farm.
Islam Makhachev successfully defended his lightweight title for a record-breaking fourth time when he defeated Renato Moicano in the first round of their UFC 311 main event.
Following his victory, the lightweight champion boldly called out middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis as he stated that he wants to make more UFC history by becoming a three-time champion.
READ MORE: Islam Makhachev returns to training just two days after record-breaking UFC 311 win as talks begin on his next fight
Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG
Islam Makhachev stunned by reporter's question after UFC 311
Before Makhachev's fight, images of what appeared to be the Russian wrestling a horse went viral online. Of course, Makhachev and his team are known for wrestling bears, something his head coach, Khabib Nurmagomedov, did quite often.
The 33-year-old owns a large farm with almost 1,000 animals, including sheep and horses. After his UFC 311 main event, he was asked if the video was real and if it was actually him.
“A horse?” Makhachev asked confusingly.
'I don't see this video, no, no. A horse is one of my favorite animals, don't struggle, I'm friends with horses,” he replied hilariously.
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Makhachev's thoughts on horses are very different from those of Shavkat Rakhmonov, who has admitted on several occasions that horse meat is his favorite food.
The lightweight champion has hopes of eventually moving up to 170 pounds to challenge for the title, but his friend and teammate Belal Muhammad currently rules the division and will likely defend his title against Rakhmonov.
READ MORE: 'End Your Losing Streak'… Belal Muhammad Roasts Kamaru Usman For Enforcing Rivalry With Islam Makhachev
Makhachev could fight 'The Nomad' for welterweight gold in the not-so-distant future.
What's next for Islam Makhachev?
With Makhachev already back in training, his manager Ali Abdelaziz has revealed that he will not fight Arman Tsarukyan, Charles Oliveira or Ilia Topuria next.
Although he boldly called out Du Plessis, it is unlikely he will move up two weight classes to face the champion who will defend his title at UFC 312.
The fight that makes the most sense for the 33-year-old is for his fight against Tsarukyan to be rebooked, but now that that's no longer possible, it's unclear who his next challenge could be.
Justin Gaethje and Dan Hooker have been booked to fight each other in a guaranteed Fight of the Year candidate, with the winner potentially moving up to the next in line.
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