The brutal physical toll of professional mixed martial arts is undeniable, but welterweight kingpin Islam Makhachev recently confessed that one of the most terrifying moments of his career had nothing to do with getting hit inside the cage. Instead, it was an unintentional medication mix-up that resulted in an emergency ambulance call and a month-long struggle to keep food down.

Speaking with Red Corner MMA, the 34-year-old undisputed lightweight champion reflected on the immediate aftermath of his historic 2019 fight with Arman Tsarukyan at UFC Fight Night: Saint Petersburg.

“We came back after the fight. I felt sick,” Makhachev said in his native Russian. “I fought, I won, I went to the locker room. The UFC doctors came to check on me if there is any fractures, things like that. And I go, ‘please take them away from me. I’m feeling sick.’

“So I’m all clean. Everything came out of me after throwing up. I’m lying in my hotel room. I want nothing as I feel relieved. No food, nothing. And Muslim says to me, ‘Take some activated charcoal. It’s going to help you.’ I said no. And I still remember him saying, ‘Hey, just one time listen to me and take activated charcoal.'”

Islam Makhachev gave in and took the pills, but because his stomach was completely empty from the fight and throwing up in the locker room, the medication hit his system instantly.

“He suddenly goes, ‘Stop, I gave you the wrong pills. Throw up,'” Makhachev continued. “And I say, ‘How can I throw up? My stomach is empty.’ ‘But I gave you the wrong pills.’ He runs out of the room, shouting, ‘I’m going to get the manganese solution now.’

“So he left to get the manganese, but it turns out they didn’t sell it without a doctor’s prescription. He comes back in an hour, ‘I’ve got no manganese.’ So we called an ambulance. Well, it turned out that he gave me laxative, seven pills. So I was recovering for a long time after that.”

The welterweight champion’s digestive system was completely destroyed by the accidental overdose, derailing his health for weeks.

“During a month, my weight kept around 73, 74 kgs (162-164 lbs),” he added. “They prescribed me a special diet for me, like rice. But even rice with milk, when I put some butter in for the taste, I felt sick and threw up. So I was recovering for a month and a half.”

The bizarre laxative incident isn’t the first time a pill-related misunderstanding has jeopardized Islam Makhachev’s career. Back in 2016, he faced a major scare when he tested positive for meldonium, an anti-ischemic drug prescribed following a 2014 heart procedure.

USADA had recently added the medication to the banned list, leading to a temporary suspension and Islam Makhachev’s withdrawal from a fight against Drew Dober. Fortunately, the Dagestani was eventually totally vindicated and cleared of any wrongdoing after USADA confirmed that the 34-year-old had stopped taking it before the ban was imposed.

Years later, UFC Senior Vice President of Anti-Doping Compliance Jeff Novitzky strongly defended the fighter.

“That’s something that just cannot happen,” he said. “That’s something you can carry forward with you and your reputation forever. I’m here today to say that Islam absolutely did nothing wrong.

“This mistake was on the anti-doping authority, not him. It’s very important to note that.”

While Islam Makhachev previously had to deal with the administrative mess of drug-testing mishaps, his latest corporate battle is about trying to clear the air on why a potential legacy fight failed to materialize.

Islam Makhachev claims White House clash with Ilia Topuria was turned down by the UFC

A highly awaited superfight between Islam Makhachev and lightweight champion Ilia Topuria was strongly rumored for the UFC Freedom 250 card at the White House, especially after the Dagestani moved up to capture the welterweight throne by defeating Jack Della Maddalena in November.

However, UFC CEO Dana White openly claimed that a hand injury prevented Islam Makhachev from accepting the date, which ‘El Matador’ readily used to label the champion a “coward.” But now, the Dagestani fighter has completely rejected the injury excuse, claiming that it was actually Topuria’s astronomical financial demands that killed the matchup.

“I got a call in the morning and was offered the fight,” he said in a video posted by Adam Zubayraev. “I agreed without asking for anything. They offered me the fight themselves, with a higher purse.

“Then the next morning they called back and said that Topuria wanted something like $20 million. He was turned down. That was the end of it.”

This version of events aligns closely with statements from the Spanish-Georgian’s own circle. Manager Malki Kawa recently admitted that while the UFC offered options to fight either the welterweight king or Justin Gaethje, things came to a halt after they declined the initial money on the table.

“The money that was offered was small in comparison to what we had already said we wanted to fight those guys from before,” he said during an appearance on the Anik & Florian Podcast.

As a result, Ilia Topuria shifted his focus back to the lightweight unification bout with Justin Gaethje. However, considering the Spanish-Georgian’s clear ambition of winning a third divisional title, a future clash with Islam Makhachev remains firmly on the horizon—provided both men handle business in their respective divisions this summer.