Islam Makhachev recalls 500-person school brawl with Khabib

Islam Makhachev's side was losing a massive schoolyard brawl in Dagestan when Khabib Nurmagomedov showed up and flipped the script.

The UFC lightweight champion told Red Corner MMA this week about a scuffle that broke out between rival schools with roughly 500 fighters on each side. Makhachev and his classmates were getting the worst of it against older opponents until Nurmagomedov, three years his senior, arrived with reinforcements.

How Khabib changed the tide in Dagestan school fight

"We were too young, but on the other side they had older guys, so we struggled against them. We needed some fire," Makhachev said, per the outlet. "Then Khabib and some of his friends — Hussein, Musa — joined us. Things turned our way and the other guys started running away."

Makhachev (28-1) and the retired Nurmagomedov (29-0) grew up in the mountains of Dagestan, a region known for producing world-class grapplers and fighters who learned to handle themselves early. Both have spoken before about street altercations being part of daily life growing up.

According to Makhachev, the arrival of Nurmagomedov's crew sent their rivals scrambling for cars while his own side gained confidence. The champ trains under Nurmagomedov's coaching now and defends his title next at UFC 330 in September.

Reported via:

• Sherdog — Islam Makhachev recalls epic school fight alongside Khabib Nurmagomedov