UFC star Islam Makhachev credits his remarkable discipline and mental strength to his Islamic faith, revealing how religion shapes every aspect of his training and competitive mindset.
Speaking on the Game Set Padel Podcast, Makhachev explained that discipline forms the foundation of his success, both in the octagon and in life.
“This is the number one thing what Islam give me, the discipline,” Makhachev said. “It’s our religion about discipline. Pray on time, be a good person. From that background, I have a good future in MMA.”
The Dagestani star’s approach to training reflects the principles instilled by his late coach, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov. Under Nurmagomedov’s guidance, athletes learned that discipline extended beyond physical preparation. The team would stop training sessions for prayer, demonstrating that spiritual commitment and athletic excellence work together rather than against each other.
Makhachev shared a powerful example from his weight cut in Australia before a match.
“We began the weight cut at 6 a.m. for Fajr prayer,” he recalled. “I just started sweating and we stopped the cut, we prayed, and we did it again.”
His nutritionist, who witnessed this dedication, later converted to Islam, describing how that moment changed his life.
The champion emphasized that mental preparation stems directly from physical and spiritual discipline. When preparing for matches, Makhachev follows a strict routine: training, sleeping, eating, and repeating.
“If you’re not sleeping well last night, you’re not going to be 100% in the training in the morning,” he explained. “Discipline is the most important thing. Everybody has the same gyms, coaches, sparring partners, but who is more disciplined, that person has more success.”
Beyond personal discipline, Makhachev’s faith provides mental clarity during competition. He approaches matches with confidence rooted in preparation rather than uncertainty.
“When you did your camp very hard, everything can happen, but I’m ready because I had a long, hard camp,” he explained. “But in the camp, if you’re not training hard, you’re going to have too many issues mentally. It’s going to bother you inside the fight.”
The champion’s advice for aspiring athletes reflects this philosophy. “Nothing special,” he said simply. “If you do something good, do it 100%. Spend your time, be disciplined, and do more than everybody if you want good success. Everybody trains, everybody goes to the gym, but do more than everybody and you’ll have a good future, good success.”
Makhachev also stressed the importance of intentions, a core Islamic principle. Success achieved through proper means, with clean intentions and hard work, creates lasting achievement. Quick shortcuts or wrong methods ultimately lead to nothing.
