“Is that his Alma Mater?” - Islam Makhachev’s visit to special needs school met with inappropriate reactions from online trolls

After securing victory in his UFC lightweight title fight against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 294 last month, Islam Makhachev celebrated his success while spending time with children with different abilities in Dagestan.

Following a closely contested initial bout at UFC 284 in February, Makhachev swiftly secured victory in the lightweight title rematch at UFC 294. He delivered a head kick that dropped the featherweight champion in the first round and sealed the win with ground strikes shortly thereafter.

A viral video on social media showcased Islam Makhachev spending time with special needs children at a school in Dagestan. The UFC lightweight champion's visit was a heartwarming moment, and in the video, the children can be seen brimming with excitement as they meet their hero in person.

Check out the video below:

However, Islam Makhachev's kind gesture drew unwarranted responses from internet trolls who responded with a variety of reactions.

One fan wrote:

"I thought he already attended it himself…"

Another wrote:

"Nice of him to visit Kill Cliff."

Check out some more reactions below:

"Is that his Almer Mater?"

"When O'Malley does it its cool, but when islam does it you guys make disabled jokes about islam. People in the replies’ racism is apparent as ever"

"Man he looks just like these dudes it’s just called a comparison"

"Because Islam literally looks like a cat"

Credits: @Home_of_Fight on X

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Khabib Nurmagomedov reacts to Islam Makhachev's rise to UFC pound-for-pound leader

UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev achieved the No. 1 spot in the UFC pound-for-pound (P4P) rankings for the first time in his career and received praise from his longtime friend, as well as UFC Hall-of-Famer, Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Following Makhachev's triumphant title defense at UFC 294 against Alexander Volkanovski, he was originally ranked second in the (P4P) rankings. However, a recent shift saw him rise to the top position, overtaking Jon Jones, as a result of the heavyweight champion's withdrawal from UFC 295 due to a pectoral injury incurred during training.

Nurmagomedov promptly took to Instagram and congratulated Makhachev and reflected on their lifelong friendship. A part of his caption read:

"It's an unprecedented case when two fighters, raised from childhood by the same coach, in the same city, in the same gym, trained side-by-side for a long time - become singleweight champions in the best league in the world @ufc. And also both became the best fighters regardless of the weight category of their time. And believe me it's not a full stop, @islam_makhachev continues to make history" [caption translated from Russian]

Check out Nurmagomedovs's post below: