A seemingly innocent moment backstage at a recent UFC event has sparked another conversation about cultural differences between Dagestan’s most famous competitors and Western sensibilities.
Video footage captured Khabib Nurmagomedov’s team examining their event credentials with visible amusement, particularly Islam Makhachev, who appeared reluctant to even display his pink-colored UFC pass.
The brief clip shows the group discussing their passes, with one team member noting the color while others laughed.
The lighthearted teasing among the Dagestani stars quickly made its way across social media, generating polarized reactions from fans and critics alike.
Some fans interpreted the interaction as simply joking about outdated photographs on the credentials rather than the color itself.
Others saw it as yet another example of the stark cultural divide between traditional Dagestani values and contemporary Western attitudes toward gender expression.
Khabib Nurmagomedov and the rest of Umar’s corner were not happy about the colour of their UFC 324 passes.😂
Islam Makhachev didn’t even want to show his.😂 pic.twitter.com/cJiQUFjBnh— PAM (@ParamPam1990) January 26, 2026
The incident arrives amid an unexpected internet phenomenon involving Makhachev. His advice to send troubled youth to Dagestan for “two, three years” has become a viral sensation across TikTok, where commenters use the phrase under content ranging from emotional therapy sessions to unconventional lifestyle choices.
“Two, three years Dagestan” now appears in comment sections across the platform, offered as humorous or not-so-humorous advice for anyone perceived as lost in modern confusion.
Not everyone finds the trend amusing. LGBTQ+ content creators have raised concerns that the phrase functions as coded language mocking queer identities or suggesting conversion through traditional masculinity.
Western media outlets have characterized Dagestan as a place where conventional gender norms still dominate without question or compromise.
Makhachev’s cultural perspective extends beyond internet memes. Recent video showed the former UFC Lightweight Champion confronting someone wearing earrings with a straightforward assessment.
“Not like a real man,” Makhachev stated plainly. The individual immediately responded, “Okay, for you I take it off.”
Makhachev’s reasoning was practical from his viewpoint: wearing earrings creates a tactical vulnerability because “somebody gonna grab and give you like couple punch.” His conclusion was direct: “That’s why it’s not good things.”
YouTuber Renezzbro recently shared how a comedic video on his channel permanently severed any possibility of meeting Nurmagomedov.
“Khabib is completely impossible from here to the day I die that I see him again,” Renezzbro explained, describing how a meme video was shown to Nurmagomedov’s representative at an unfortunate moment.
According to the content creator, Khabib’s manager later delivered an unambiguous message to an associate: “Muriel, please, I ask you, don’t bring me homosexuals again.”
While Renezzbro maintained the content was “obviously a meme,” the cultural chasm proved impossible to bridge. What registers as harmless humor in one context arrives entirely differently through the lens of strict religious observance and conventional social structures.
The Dagestani stars’ unfiltered reactions have generated both admiration and controversy online. Supporters appreciate their authenticity in an era dominated by carefully managed public relations messaging.
Critics counter that such attitudes promote regressive social views incompatible with modern inclusive values.
