Born in Makhachkala, Dagestan, Islam Makhachev, 30, grew up in Burshi, Dagestan where he trained and competed in combat sambo. In mixed martial arts, he has been undefeated since 2016.

Currently, Makhachev is one of the most feared fighters in the lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He holds a professional MMA record of 22 wins and 1 loss.

.

Recently, CONAN Daily asked Kareem Eftaiha of Jordan who he believes is the greatest MMA fighter of all time. Without explanation, the young MMA fighter picked Makhachev.

In 2016, Makhachev represented Russia at the World Combat Sambo Championship. He won gold after defeating Valentin Benishev of Bulgaria 7-0 in the final match.

Eftaiha was one of the 498 athletes who registered to compete in the 2022 International Mixed Martial Arts Federation Youth World Championships, which was held at the Jiu Jitsu Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates from August 17-20, 2022. Including Jordan, a total of 41 countries and territories were represented in the tournament.

Jordan was represented by Eftaiha, Omah Househ, Muhammad Al Moghrabi and Zaki Kayyali. They all train at the Team Kayyali gym in Amman, Jordan.

The 2022 IMMAF Youth World Championships marked Eftaiha’s first time to be in Abu Dhabi. When asked to mention the people who helped you prepare for the tournament, he said, “My parents, my gym, my teammates and my coaches.”

Eftaiha competed in the 48kg weight class of the male 12- 13-year-olds (Youth C) group. In this category, Alex Flanagan of Ireland won gold.