An athlete's pursuit of greatness rarely begins the moment a professional contract is signed, or when their talent becomes obvious to the rest of the world.
It most often begins in anonymity, far away from the bright lights and adoring fans. It's often a lonely and thankless endeavor.
That's how it was for Islam Makhachev, the UFC's brilliant lightweight champion and arguably the best MMA fighter on the planet right now. He defends his title against Arman Tsarukyan on Saturday in the main event of UFC 311 at The Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif. He needs a win to tie former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman for the second-longest winning streak in UFC history, at 15.
Makhachev is a full-blown star now, one of the biggest names in his sport, despite the fact that he's still not fully fluent in English.
"I have committed my whole life to this," Makhachev said of the pursuit of MMA greatness.
He remains a humble and low-key guy, not fixated on the material things that his greatness could bring but on adding to his already considerable legacy.
He isn't going to be the one to boast about his legacy, though. Being famous and recognized as a star is not high up on his to-do list.
"I don't know," Makhachev said when asked if he noticed an increase in recognition during his travels. "Big star or not, I don't know. That's up to people to decide. I try to be humble, try to be the same."
Makhachev is ranked No. 1 pound-for-pound by UFC.com's ratings panel, which has become something of a running joke considering UFC CEO Dana White's insistence that heavyweight champion Jon Jones is No. 1 and the resulting debate it sparked. Jones is 28-1 and his only loss came by disqualification. Jones landed a 12-to-6 elbow on Matt Hamill, one that is now legal under a recent rule change.
On Dec. 6 in Las Vegas at the initial news conference to announce the UFC 311 card, White was asked if he'd put Makhachev over Jones if Makhachev defeated Tsarukyan. The crowd booed as White said he thought Jones was No. 1.
Beaming, Makhachev grabbed the microphone and said, "Who is No. 1? Tell Dana. Who is the No. 1?"
It was a rare public nod by Makhachev of his position within the sport. He's gotten where he is not by hype or by others singing his praises but by remarkable consistency and a willingness to sacrifice whatever it takes to make it to the top.
Makhachev joined the UFC in 2015 and for much of his career, fought in the shadow of his friend, teammate and now coach, Khabib Nurmagomedov.
There was never a hint of envy or jealousy from Makhachev as Nurmagomedov developed into one of the most iconic athletes in UFC history. And while he was likely good enough to fight for the title long before he did for the first time when he submitted Charles Oliveira at UFC 280 on Oct. 22, 2022, he never moaned about not getting a chance at the belt.
White kept his lightweight title vacant for well over a year hoping Nurmagomedov would return, but Makhachev simply took it in stride and kept on winning.
Joe Camporeale/Imagn Images
Islam Makhachev's winning streak is longer than eight years.
Makhachev is finally earning recognition and seeing his name dot the record books. He's nearly a 4-1 favorite to defeat Tsarukyan in the rematch of their 2019 Fight of the Night bout that was held in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Should he win, he'll tie Usman for second all-time in the UFC with 15 consecutive wins, one off of ex-middleweight champ Anderson Silva's record of 16.
His seven wins by submission are tied for ninth all-time in the UFC. His name dots the lightweight record book and will only go higher because even at 33, he plans to compete for a long time.
"Honestly, I don't follow the records," Makhachev said. "I don't know who has the most records; who has defended the most times. There's just one thing [I think about]: It's to defend my belt, and that's it. I want to defend many times. I want to be a champion for many years."
It's been a lifelong pursuit that has led him to the top of the MMA mountain.
His coach, Javier Mendez, said Makhachev still hasn't realized his full potential. While he raved about Jones, he said Makhachev is No. 1 "pound-for-pound for a reason." It's scary to think that Makhachev, after 14+ years as a pro and 27 fights is still improving, but Mendez was serious.
Mendez said the massive leaps from fight to fight are over, but stressed Makhachev still has room to grow.
Mendez once coached heavyweights Daniel Cormier and Cain Velasquez at the American Kickboxing Academy, where they were teammates with a young and up-and-coming Makhachev. Mendez noted that when Cormier and Velasquez practiced together, he saw tiny things Cormier did lead to big takedowns of Velasquez.
Similarly, Mendez thinks those kinds of improvements will help Makhachev continue to level up.
"Definitely, he still has room to grow," Mendez said. "He is not at peak. ... But now, it's the real intelligent, little tiny adjustments that make a huge difference. It's like anything else. When you're at the highest level, you can still improve but you can't expect to see tremendous improvements. But at the level Islam is at, just that little bit makes a massive difference.
" ... I understand the difference between this much [holding his hands a foot apart] and this much [holding his fingers an inch apart]. And where Islam is, he can still make those tiny adjustments and improvements and he's still going to keep getting better and better."
If he defends his title a few more times and perhaps captures a belt in a second weight class, Makhachev will have accomplished as much in the UFC as anyone who ever competed.
Just don’t expect him to be the one to tell you about it.
Craig Kidwell/Imagn Images
Islam Makhachev is a -375 favorite to defeat Arman Tsarukyan Saturday at UFC 311.