Look, everyone wants to talk about Islam Makhachev’s sambo background. It’s the narrative Dana White loves, it’s what every casual fan parrots, and honestly, it makes sense on the surface. The Dagestani wrestling machine, trained by Khabib’s father, comes from that Soviet combat sports system. Simple story, right?
Except here’s the thing — if you actually break down Makhachev’s grappling frame by frame, you’re not watching sambo. You’re watching judo. High-level, competition-refined judo that’s been adapted for MMA in ways most fighters can’t replicate. And that’s what makes him damn near unstoppable.
The Grip Fighting Nobody’s Talking About
When we analyze Makhachev’s entries at Ringside Report, the first thing that jumps out isn’t the explosive double-leg or the chain wrestling you’d expect from pure sambo. It’s his collar ties and sleeve control. That’s judo, brother.
Watch how Islam establishes his grips against the cage. He’s not just grabbing cloth — he’s fighting for sleeve control and establishing dominant grips that break his opponent’s posture before the takedown even starts. Against Charles Oliveira at UFC 280, Makhachev spent the first exchange establishing an over-hook and collar tie that completely neutralized Charles’s striking. That’s textbook judo grip fighting translated to MMA.
The Ashi Waza Advantage
Here’s where it gets technical, and this is what separates Makhachev from every other grappler in the lightweight division. His foot sweeps — what judo calls ashi waza — create scrambles that don’t look like scrambles. They look like domination.
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When Islam throws a ko-uchi-gari (minor inner reap) in the clinch, he’s not trying to slam you. He’s off-balancing you, forcing you to post your hands, and creating the exact defensive reaction that opens up his chain grappling. Against Dustin Poirier, we saw this repeatedly. Dustin would defend the initial sweep, plant his hands, and suddenly Islam’s already transitioning to the back or securing a body lock.
That’s not sambo. That’s high-level judo adapted for cage work.
The Sacrifice Throw Psychology
Now here’s what really separates judo-based grapplers from wrestlers in MMA — the willingness to sacrifice position for dominant outcomes. Makhachev will throw tomoe nage variations (sacrifice throws) that would make a wrestler cringe. You’re giving up top position? In MMA? Come on.
But watch what happens. Islam throws these sacrifice techniques, knowing exactly where the scramble ends. He’s pulling guard with purpose, using momentum to secure immediate dominant positions or submissions. Against Bobby Green, he hit a sacrifice throw that looked reckless until you realize he landed directly in mount. That’s competition judo instinct — understanding that the throw itself isn’t the finish, it’s the entry to the ground game.
Let’s Be Honest About the Sambo Influence
Look, I’m not saying sambo doesn’t factor into Makhachev’s game. That would be ridiculous. The leg locks, the aggressive ground-and-pound positioning, the comfort working from inferior positions — that’s all sambo influence from his Dagestani training.
But what do you expect when everyone focuses on the sambo narrative? They miss the technical foundation that makes everything else work. The sambo is the finishing layer. Judo is the structural base that creates the entries, controls the pace, and dictates where the fight happens.
Where Wrestling Fits In
The wrestling shows up in Islam’s mat returns and his ability to maintain top position once he’s established it. When someone tries to stand up, that’s when you see the American folkstyle influence — the hip pressure, the heavy hands on the shoulders, the relentless mat returns.
But the initial takedowns? The clinch work? The way he creates angles against the cage? That’s judo, brother. And it’s more effective in MMA than pure wrestling because judo fighters are trained to work in confined spaces with limited movement — precisely what the cage creates.
Why This Makes Him Different From Khabib
Here’s my contrarian take that might piss off some Dagestani fans: Islam Makhachev is actually more technical than Khabib Nurmagomedov. There, I said it.
Khabib was an overwhelming force — relentless pressure, inhuman cardio, and mental warfare that broke opponents before the fight started. But Islam’s grappling is more refined, more technical, and frankly, more adaptable to different body types and styles.
The Technical Refinement Edge
Khabib would bull-rush you with chain wrestling until something stuck. Islam sets traps. He creates reactions. He uses his judo base to establish grips that make you defend in ways that open up his actual attacks. It’s chess versus checkers, and both work, but one requires less physical dominance to execute.
Against Alexander Volkanovski in their first fight, we saw this clearly. Volk is too good defensively to just overwhelm with pressure. So Islam used grip fighting and foot sweeps to create tiny openings, then exploded through them. That’s technical mastery, not just physical dominance.
My Bold Prediction: The Judo Renaissance
Here’s where I’m going to make a call that might look stupid in two years, but I’m committing to it: Islam Makhachev’s success will spark a judo renaissance in American MMA gyms.
We’ve already seen wrestling dominate, then BJJ has its moment, then wrestling comes back with better submission defense. Now? Fighters are going to realize that judo’s grip fighting, sacrifice throws, and off-balancing techniques are the missing piece in modern MMA grappling.
Where This Could Go Wrong
Look, I could be entirely off base here. Judo is hard to learn for MMA because so much of it relies on gi grips that don’t translate directly. The sacrifice throws require insane spatial awareness that takes years to develop. And frankly, most American fighters don’t have the patience for the technical refinement judo demands.
But if Islam keeps dominating — and I think he will — somebody’s going to crack the code on teaching judo fundamentals to MMA fighters who didn’t grow up in the system. When that happens, the grappling meta shifts again.
What Happens Next for Islam
The reality is this: until someone can match Islam’s grip fighting and off-balancing game, he’s going to keep making elite fighters look average. Charles Oliveira, one of the best submission artists in UFC history, got controlled on the ground. Dustin Poirier, a black belt with incredible scrambling, couldn’t create space.
The lightweight division doesn’t have an answer right now because they’re preparing for the wrong style. They’re training takedown defense for wrestlers and submission defense for BJJ players—nobody’s training to fight a high-level judoka who’s adapted his game for MMA.
That’s the thing about Islam Makhachev — he’s not unstoppable because he’s the most athletic or the strongest. He’s unstoppable because he’s fighting a different fight than everyone else is prepared for. His judo base creates problems that the current generation of lightweights simply hasn’t seen before.
And until someone figures out how to neutralize grip fighting and sacrifice throws in four-ounce gloves? Islam’s reign continues. That’s not hype. That’s technical reality.
Ilia Topuria says he’ll submit Makhachev while Khabib watches. Sounds insane—but his grappling credentials make this more than trash talk. Here’s the technical case.
